Crimson Wings
by Silent Swordmaster
Summary: Chapter 5 rewritten! The Order of the Crimson Dragon has raised dragon-riding warriors to defend the land and a princess joins their ranks with her best friend but a mysterious force threatens to endanger all of human and dragonkind.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**  
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_Long ago, the land was protected by a great warrior who rode a great dragon. _

_The great spirit, The Crimson Dragon, blessed this warrior and granted him great power.  
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_He and his apprentices fought monsters along with their dragon partners. _

_But one day, the great warrior's partner was slain in battle. _

_When the sacred bond with his partner was cut, his mind collapsed and he went insane. _

_He began a ritual to create the ultimate dragon to rule the land through fear. _

_The Crimson Dragon saw fit to relinquish his blessing and divide it among his apprentices.  
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_His apprentices banded together and stopped the madman, slaying him and his abomination. _

_They were the six riders who bore the marks of the Crimson Dragon. _

_Their order of Dragon Riders still exists, and the next six to take up the mantle of the legendary heroes are..._

_The humble swordsman who lets his mind soar among the stars on a clear night..._

_The hopeful king whose soul brims with burning passion, power, and pride..._

_The witty rogue whose spirit flies high as a symbol of freedom..._

_The beautiful princess of roses whose fury is as piercing as roses..._

_And the magical brother and sister whose bonded spirits bolster their power and love._

_This is the story of the Crimson Dragon's chosen ones and their journey to realizing their destiny._


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Ha ha!" Yusei yelled as he tumbled about high in the sky, Stardust having just as much fun carrying Yusei on his back.

_You do remember we have a mission to take care of right?_ Stardust said telepathically.

"Yeah, I remember," Yusei said. "but I just have so much fun flying!"

Yusei loved flying more than anything in the world, except for, of course, the one who allowed him to fly, his dragon and best friend. The two had been inseparable ever since Yusei had found Stardust's egg in the woods in his hometown and incubated it until it hatched. When dragons hatch and bond with a human, the bond is manifested by a mark on the human's arm. In Yusei's case, his mark was a red outline of a dragon's head on his right forearm.

_But we promised Jack and Archie we would help them train this evening so we can't delay much longer._

"All right," Yusei conceded. "Let's move on."

They flew for a few more leagues until Stardust spotted a city with a gigantic castle. _That looks like it_, he said to Yusei. Stardust looked closer and saw a big figure flying around the castle's keep. _And that looks like the dragon we're here to see._

"Let's find a spot to land then," Yusei said. "Master Goodwin said the king's daughter rides a dragon and our job is to ask her to join the order."

_Then the dragon we saw must be the princess' partner_, Stardust inferred. They flew down in front of the castle gate and the guard on the wall called to him.

"Identify yourself, rider!"

"Yusei Fudo, envoy of Rex Goodwin, Dragonmaster."

"Ah, Lord Fudo," the guard said. "You're expected. Land in the courtyard. The king awaits you."

"Thank you, soldier." Yusei flew over the wall and Stardust landed next to a tall fountain outside the keep. "Wow, this place is beautiful."

_If you say so,_ Stardust said, _I prefer the tower. This place isn't tall enough._ As Stardust finished, the door to the keep opened and three people stepped out and approached him. Yusei inferred that the well dressed ones were the king and queen but couldn't tell who the one in the purple, hooded cloak was. Yusei knelt before the king and Stardust lowered his head likewise.

"Yusei," the hooded man spoke, "you're late." Yusei recognized the voice. The man removed his hood and gave a mischievous smile.

"Master Goodwin?" Yusei stood up dumbfounded. Stardust stared at him in shock.

"Oh don't look so surprised, Yusei," Goodwin joked. "You know the Dragonmaster has the power to travel about at will, and the king of Rosland is a good friend of mine. I decided to make a personal visit."

"Then why did you need me to come all this way?" Yusei politely inquired.

"I'll let my friend the king answer that question," Goodwin replied.

"You see, my young friend," the king began, "ten years ago, my daughter found a dragon egg that eventually hatched and bonded with her. Master Goodwin here came to me that day and asked if I would allow her to become a Dragon Rider when she came of age. I thought it would be good for her. Today is her seventeenth birthday and I want her to join to help bond with her dragon and to see the world rather than be cooped up in a castle for the rest of her life. Unfortunately, she doesn't see it that way."

"We want you to show her what being a rider is like," the queen said. "You're only a little older than her and you have experience. We promised Goodwin she would join but we want her to want to join."

"Yusei," Goodwin began, "there is something else that the king is reluctant to tell you. Tensions between the Rosland royal family and the Arcadia Province have been running high. Many people fear that they will secede, and if that happens, my friend does not want his daughter to live here in a time of civil war."

"I see," Yusei said. "Master, I'm not sure what to do."

"Just tell her about what we do," Goodwin said, "about what you do."

"I'm not good at gloating," Yusei said. "I never have been."

"You can talk to her, Yusei," Goodwin said reassuringly. "She'll be able to relate to you."

"Okay," Yusei sighed. He turned to the king and queen. "Where can I find her?"

Akiza watched as Rose circled around the tower where her chambers were located and smiled. She thought of all the good times she and Rose had been through in the last ten years. Her smile faded when she looked down into the courtyard and saw her parents, two men she didn't know, and another dragon. "The Order is here to recruit me," she said to herself. "Why do they want to take me away? I love my life here."

Rose circled into Akiza's balcony. _Shall we ride?_ Rose asked with her mind.

"Yeah," Akiza said. "We can get a closer look at the dragon down in the courtyard."

_You noticed him too? I smelled him and his rider when they were a league away._

Akiza jumped on Rose's back. "Do they stink?"

_Not really. I smell resolve in the young man and loyalty in his dragon. They are a fine pair. Rose looked down at them again. And they're not bad looking either. Didn't you once dream about your 'Prince Charming' sweeping you away on a white dragon?_

"I did no such thing!" Akiza snapped.

_That's not what your mother told me._

"Oh shut up, Rose." Rose circled around overhead and everybody saw her enormous petal covered wings flap above them. Rose lowered so everybody could hear Akiza speak. "So, Rider, you want to take me to join your stupid order, do you?"

"Akiza!" her father shouted. "These men have traveled leagues to offer you this honor!"

"Well they'll have to catch me first!" she shouted as Rose took off toward the sky. Yusei looked at Akiza's parents and then at Goodwin, who gave an approving nod. Yusei climbed up Stardust's back and Stardust took off after Akiza and Rose. Akiza laughed as she and Rose climbed higher and higher but her laughter ceased as she saw Yusei and Stardust gaining on them. "How can he fly that fast?" she asked.

_He's trained to fly like that. He's a Rider._

"You know, you have a lot of potential," a voice came from directly behind Akiza. She could feel a strong gust from right behind her. It felt like a dragon's breath. She turned and saw Stardust's sleek head looming behind her. She screamed in shock, fell off of Rose's back, and tumbled downward through the air.

AKIZA! Rose roared as she dove after her. Stardust zoomed past her and dove under Akiza. She fell right into Yusei's arms.

"As I was saying," Yusei said, "you have a lot of potential, but you need to be more careful."

Akiza paused, still reeling from the fact that this guy had just grabbed her out of the sky and saved her life. She then broke out of her trance. "I don't need your advice!" she snapped. "You just scared the living daylights out of me!"

"Fair enough," Yusei said, "but let's get you on the ground."

Akiza jumped back on to Rose, who looked at the dragon and rider pair and said menacingly, _Human, if you pull a stunt like that again, so help me, I will eat you alive!_

Stardust roared right back. _Enough! Threaten Yusei again and I will tear your wings off with my teeth!_ Akiza was surprised at how fiercely the dragon defended his rider.

"Stardust!" Yusei yelled.

_She started it!_

"You're acting like a fledgling," Yusei scolded. The dragon growled, reluctant to give in, but Yusei was always right and he knew it.

"So your name's Yusei?" Akiza asked.

"Yes, your highness," Yusei bowed. "I am Captain Yusei Fudo, leader of the 6th Rider Division of the Order of the Crimson Dragon. This is my partner and longtime friend, Stardust. I have come on behalf of the Dragonmaster, Rex Goodwin, to humbly ask you, my princess, to do me and my fellows the honor of joining us. What do you say?"

"All I ever wanted was to fly around with my best friend. I don't want to join the Order. I don't want to ever see Rose get hurt," Akiza admitted.

Akiza... Rose began.

_Such feelings are understandable,_ Stardust interrupted. _They are proof that the two of you are indeed close. However, what we teach at the Order exists so that dragons and humans may grow even more close. Plus, I wonder, how many other dragon's have you met, Rose?_

_I suppose you're the first other of our kind I've met,_ Rose admitted. _I've lived in this castle my whole life with Akiza._

_Exactly_, Stardust said. _We dragons are rare enough as it is. The best way that you'll meet others is by joining. Not only will you make new dragon friends, but hopefully, for the sake of our species, you'll meet the one with whom you'll eventually mate._

_Mate?_

"Stardust," Yusei whispered, "you shouldn't talk about mating to the princess' dragon. You might give her the wrong idea."

_What do you mean, Yus...oh. Whoops. I was only trying to think long-term._

"I understand, my friend," Yusei said, turning to Akiza. "Stardust is right. While you many not want to, joining the order will be the best thing for both of you. Your parents think so and my master certainly agrees."

"I see," she said. "How many dragons are there at the order?"

"Dozens," Yusei said. "We live in a tall, spiraling tower where our dragons can fly to their hearts' content with a sanctuary with every comfort a dragon could want. Rose would feel perfectly comfortable there."

"It does sound nice," Akiza said. "I guess if it will benefit us both, then we should do it."

_Logic dictates that we should_, Rose said.

"Can I at least say my good-byes?" Akiza asked.

"You can have as much time as you want," Yusei said. "When should I come back to guide you to the tower, princess?" Akiza was surprised. She expected a seasoned rider to be strict and make her leave now, but he was gentle and kind.

"Can I have two weeks?' she asked timdly.

"Yes, you may," he said. Stardust turned, ready to leave for the tower. Yusei turned his head and spoke. "Oh, princess!"

"Yes?"

"Happy Birthday."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"What time d'you call this?" Jack yelled as Yusei flew into his view. Stardust approached the top of the tower where Jack and Archie stood waiting. Yusei spotted Jack's white tunic and deep purple cape. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago! The future king of Domin does not like to be kept waiting, Yusei!" Stardust landed on the tower's flat, circular roof that doubled as a training arena. Yusei jumped off Stardust's back and he and Jack clasped arms. Archie and Stardust gave each other a friendly grunt.

"Sorry, Jack," Yusei replied. "Goodwin had me fly all the way to Rosland today."

"Rosland?" Jack said inquisitively. "That's a bit out of your way, isn't it?"

"Well, I had to talk the princess of Rosland into joining the order."

"You met the princess? And she has a dragon?"

"Yup."

"And?"

"And what?"

"How was she?"

"She's a great flier. She needs some training but she'll make an excellent addition to the team."

"Yusei, you know that isn't what I meant. Is she pretty?"

"Well, yeah, I suppose..."

_Come on, Yusei,_ Stardust said. _Did you see her face when you caught her out of the air? She stared right at your eyes for a good minute before snapping out of it._

"Are you serious, Yusei?" Jack exclaimed. "You meet a pretty girl, a princess no less, and you save her life two minutes later?"

Archie let out a loud bark of laughter. _Yusei's good at attracting pretty faces, but royalty? Nice going._ It was true. Many of the girls studying to be Handmaidens of the Order, women who served as teachers and healers, would swoon at the sight of Yusei. It got on his nerves and made Jack just laugh. Jack was much more of a ladies-man and had his share of women swoon over him as well but typically rejected them all so he could focus on becoming the most powerful rider in the order.

Jack was the son of the King of Domin, the biggest country on the continent. Archie was a gift from Jack's parents when he was still an egg. When he hatched, they bonded and dragon wings appeared on Jack's arm. One day, Jack would be king of Domin and his desire to be a strong ruler drove him and Archie to join the Order. Jack had once told Yusei that he would only try to find the right woman after he became king and needed to have a queen.

"Hey! What are you two doing up here?" shouted a voice from up above. Yusei, Jack, Archie, and Stardust lifted their heads upward and saw silver feathers lowering toward them. The Black-Winged Dragon settled on the rooftop and a young man with spiky red hair and a dragon-tail mark on his arm jumped off it. "You're not gonna leave us out of this little training session, are you?" Crow asked.

_Yeah!_ Zephyr said. _We can't let you guys have all the fun._

Where have the two of you been? Stardust asked. We haven't seen you in two days!

"We retreated to the forest a while ago, so Zephyr could visit his feathered friends." Zephyr grew up in the Dread Forest, not far from the tower, and home to hundreds of black birds and ravens.

Unlike Jack, Crow was not royalty. He was the foster-son of the famous falconer Robert Pearson and found Zephyr's egg in the Dread Forest when he wandered too far one day. Crow's bond with Zephyr formed a dragon tail mark on his arm. Crow was wearing his brown leather armor and carried a black and gold double-headed axe on his back. "I heard you had a mission from the Dragonmaster himself, Yusei," Crow said. "How did you get on such good terms with him?"

"I don't know why Goodwin focuses so much attention on me," Yusei said. "I'm a fair flier and and hold my own in a fight, but I'm no one special." Stardust nudged Yusei.

_Come on, Yusei. You're more than that. You're my best friend and partner and I'm proud to be yours. That mark on your arm is proof of that._ Yusei pulled off his glove and looked at the dragon head printed into his skin. He could feel his dragon's friendship through it and smiled.

"Thanks, Stardust."

"All right! All right! That's enough!" Jack yelled. "Yusei, you said we would train and dammit, we're going to." Jack drew his large sword from the sheath on his back. Yusei drew his longsword from his belt and readied himself. "Crow, would you please act as referee?" Jack asked.

"Okay," Crow said, "but I already know what my call is going to be."

"What do you mean?" Jack demanded.

"What do you think I mean? Yusei always beats you."

"Only because these are practice bouts, Crow! I think that if Yusei and I ever had to fight to the death, spirits forbid, I'd win."

"I'd prefer not to think about that prospect, Jack," Yusei said.

* * *

><p>Sayer and his men rode on horseback from the Arcadia capitol to go on their weekly hunt. Sayer enjoyed these hunts, as they allowed him to get one step closer to ridding the world of the one thing he truly hated. Dragons.<p>

Sayer was not a hunter nor a tracker, but a very powerful diviner who used his psychic powers to hone in on a dragon's location. He then used his powers to subdue the dragon and then ordered his hunters to go in for the kill with their weapons. "Toby!" Sayer called to his apprentice.

A young man with eager eyes and long brown hair rode up next to Sayer. "Yes, sir?" he asked, waiting for a command. This was the first hunt that Toby had been invited along on. He, however, had nothing against dragons. In fact, he thought they were incredible creatures, but as long as Sayer was his superior, he could never say that. Sayer hated all dragons with a passion.

"Hand me my spyglass."

Toby reached in his bag and pulled a golden spyglass and handed it to his master.

Sayer looked through it. "Ah," he said, still clutching the spyglass, "just as I thought."

"What is it, sir?" Toby asked.

"I can sense a dragon close by. And I use this magic spyglass to see through the trees. I can see it now." Sayer passed the spyglass back to Toby, who looked through it himself. All he could see was the leaves on the trees he was looking at.

"Sir, I can't see a dragon through this thing," Toby said.

"That's because it's a device that amplifies my psychic powers to see an image I can't see with my eyes. Your powers are not developed enough for the spyglass to amplify them any," Sayer said coldly.

"Oh," muttered a disappointed Toby.

"Watch closely, boy," Sayer commanded, motioning his hunters to ready their spears. He gave one more hand gesture and the hunters lobbed their spears right into the woods. Toby heard a roar and a relatively small blue dragon jumped out of the woods, its mouth foaming with fire. It launched a fireball right at Sayer, who held up his hand and with a flick of his wrist, redirected the projectile back at the dragon. It collapsed on the ground and Sayer gave the order for his men to finish it off. Toby immediately realized that Sayer didn't bring him alog to teach him anything, but to show him what his powers can really do and to make him that much more fearful.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The two weeks had passed and Akiza packed everything she needed, which wasn't very much. Her father and Master Goodwin had told her that the Order would provide much for her so she could focus on her studies and her training. Rose was actually looking forward to joining the order as she was excited about meeting other dragons. Akiza thought she might be looking forward to it just a little bit. Really, she just wanted to see that Yusei fellow again. After he had just caught her out of the air like she was nothing, she couldn't stop thinking about him. "Why can't I get him out of my head?" she wondered. "Maybe it'll go away when I see him much more often. That's it, it's just my anxiety about joining the Order."

_I think somebody's developing a little crush._ Rose telepathically teased.

"What?" she snapped, "I am not!"

_I can read your mind, Akiza. There are very few things you can hide from me._

"Okay, Rose. I'll admit it. He is quite good looking."

_For a human._

A knock came at Akiza's chamber door. She walked over and answered it. "Hello, Father," she said.

"Hello, my darling. I just wanted to say goodnight on your last night in this castle and tell you how much I love you." The king extended his arms and embraced his daughter who would be leaving come the morn.

"I love you too, Father," Akiza said as she returned her father's loving embrace. After ending the tender moment, the king walked over to Rose and stroked her snout.

"Rose," he began, "you have brought my daughter nothing but joy for as long as you have lived in this castle and for that, I am truly grateful. You were never just a pet dragon. You have always been a trusted member of this family and I shall miss you."

_I thank you, sire. I will continue to protect Akiza with my last breath._

"I know you will," the king said confidently. "Now, we should all get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow! Goodnight, Rose. Goodnight, Akiza."

"Goodnight, Father."

* * *

><p>"Ungh..." Yusei grunted as he forced himself awake. He could wake up fairly early by himself, but this was earlier than ever. He had to fly out early so he could be at Castle Rosland midmorning to take the princess to the tower. "Guess I'd better get suited up and go get Stardust."<p>

The Sanctuary was an environment built by the first Dragonmaster for dragons to live in. It was placed at the top of the tower and cased with magical glass. It had every comfort a dragon could want and was big enough for the dragons to fly freely around in. Most of the dragons were still asleep. Yusei could see Archie sat up asleep in his little rock quarry that he dug. Zephyr couldn't be seen as he slept in the forested area. Yusei looked toward the mountain that Stardust perched on but didn't see him.

_Looking for Stardust?_ a voice said in Yusei's mind. He turned around and saw four beady eyes staring right at his. The giant black antler-ridden head backed away and Yusei could tell it was Seeker.

"You scared me Seeker," Yusei said. "Why aren't you asleep?"Seeker was the dragon partner of Kalin, a longtime friend and companion of Yusei, Jack, and Crow. Kalin was a great fighter and a good friend but never had much to say. Yusei, Jack, and Crow would get small smiles or chuckles out of him when they tried but usually nothing more than that. Nevertheless, Yusei always sensed that Kalin was content with his life as a Rider and with friends like Crow, Jack, and himself. Seeker was a lot like Kalin: mostly quiet but an absolute terror on the battlefield. Kalin had never actually told anyone how he and Seeker bonded.

_Don't concern yourself with it._ Seeker said. _Stardust is down by the clearing in the meadow._

"What could he be doing?" Yusei wondered. "Thanks, Seeker. You should really try to sleep."

_You're welcome, Yusei. I'll try my best._

Yusei made his way down to the meadow but to his surprise, it was no longer just yellow grass, but there was a huge patch of fully bloomed roses arranged in a circle. Yusei heard wings flapping and saw Stardust land with another collection of flowers in his arms. "Stardust, what are you doing?" Yusei asked.

_Oh...hello Yusei._ Stardust replied embarrassed. _I'm...taking up flower arranging?_

"Please," Yusei said. "Surely you could come up with a better lie than that. What are you doing?"

_Well, all of us dragons have a designated place to sleep here. So with Rose's arrival today, I thought I'd give her a slightly prettier spot. I know she enjoys flowers._

Yusei chuckled. "Okay, Stardust. Just what are you hoping to accomplish?"

_Well I feel bad about when I threatened to tear her wings off. I want to make up for it._

"I see," Yusei said, thinking they'd have to talk more later. "Well, we need to go. It's a long flight to Rosland and we're on a schedule."

_Can I have a few more minutes to finish up?_

"All right. Go ahead."

* * *

><p>The sun was on its way up the sky as Yusei and Stardust arrived at Castle Rosland. He landed in the courtyard just like last time. "I'll go in and speak to the royal family. See if you can spot Rose from above."<p>

_Okay. On my way._ Stardust took off with a leap off the ground. Within minutes, he was lost to Yusei's sight behind the clouds. The keep guards let Yusei pass into the throne room where the king and queen sat. Yusei knelt and rose again with a nod from the king.

"Lord Fudo, you've returned," the king said happily. "Cedric, please fetch Akiza," he said to a servant.

"As you wish, sire," the servant said. A few minutes later, Cedric arrived with Akiza in tow. She was wearing her riding outfit made of red and black leather. Yusei blinked several times before he realized that he was staring at her.

"Princess," Yusei began, "you're looking well."

"Why thank you, Lord Fudo."

"Please, just call me Yusei."

"As you wish, Sir Yusei."

"What? That isn't what I...oh nevermind."

Akiza's mother spoke up. "Lord Fudo, we want to make sure that you'll keep an eye on Akiza whenever possible. We couldn't bear it if anything happened to our daughter."

"I understand," Yusei said reassuringly. "I promise that I will keep her safe."

"Thank you," the king and queen both said.

"Now princess, if you'd like a few minutes to say your final goodbyes..." Yusei prompted. Akiza then rushed toward her parents, gave them both big hugs and ran past Yusei out the keep door, tears staining her face. Yusei bowed to the king and queen one last time and ran after the princess.

Yusei found himself back in the courtyard. Stardust had not yet returned. He looked around trying to locate the princess and finally saw her kneeling before a rose bush and walked slowly toward her. As he got closer, he could hear her still crying. "Princess?" he said as he approached. Akiza's head jerked up but she did not face him. "Are you well?"

"No," she said between sobs. "This is my home and I don't want to leave."

"I can understand," Yusei said. "You're lucky though. You have a choice in your path. My home and my family was taken from me and the Order was the only place for me to go."

"I...I'm so sorry." Akiza suddenly realized how selfish she was being.

"I have plenty of friends at the Order and you'll make plenty of friends too. Plus, you're bringing your best friend along with you. I think that's a plus," Yusei said reassuringly. Then he did something that neither he nor Akiza expected. He plucked a rose from the bush, pulled out his knife and shaved off its thorns, and placed the stem on Akiza's ear so the flower displayed its petals on the borders of her burgundy hair. "So will you come?"

Akiza smiled, both happy and shocked by the gesture Yusei had just done. "Yes," she said quietly.

"I'm glad, Akiza," Yusei said.

"Thank you, Sir Yusei," she replied.

"Now what have I said about calling me 'Lord' or 'Sir'?" Yusei demanded.

"For someone who seems to hate titles and honorifics, you've only once called me by my name."

"I have?"

"A minute ago, you called me Akiza and not 'Princess'."

"So I did. I apologize."

"No, don't. I may be a princess but I'm also a rider now, so I'd like you to call me Akiza." Yusei smiled and stood, took her hand, and helped her to her feet.

"As you wish, Princess Akiza." Akiza gave the rider a look. "Old habits die hard," he said smiling. He then pulled out a small whistle and blew it and a few seconds later, Stardust appeared in the sky with Rose in tow. They both landed and Yusei helped Akiza mount her dragon properly.

Rose looked at Akiza. _I take it you're fine with joining the Order now?_

"Yes, Rose," Akiza said touching the rose now placed gently in her hair. "Yusei's been very good to me so far. He's trusted me. It'd be wrong for me to not trust him."_  
><em>

Yusei hopped on his friend's back and Stardust got a mischievous gleam in his eye. _So what exactly did you do while I was gone?_

"I'll tell you later, friend."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Toby paced up and down his room wondering what to do. He hated that Sayer went out and killed any dragon he could find and even more so because he went out of his way to do so. "What do I do?" he kept thinking. "I need to stay with Sayer so he can teach me how to use my power. Otherwise, I might run wild with it. I have a feeling that he may actually have me join the hunt sooner or later rather than just watching him. Just as Toby thought his brain was going to explode, he heard a knock on the door. Toby opened it to see a friendly face. "Oh hi, Blister."

"Hey there, kid," Blister casually said. Blister had served in the Arcadia manor for only a short time, but had grown to be a confidant and a mentor to Toby. Blister acted as a butler in his duties but Toby had seen a few of the tricks from Blister's thieving days. "You've got a letter here. Looks like a girl's handwriting. Something you haven't told me?" Toby snatched the letter out of Blister's hand.

"Watch it, Blister. My sister sent it." Toby always felt better when he got a letter from his sister. It made him feel like she was right there. Toby ripped open the envelope and read it to himself:

_Dear Toby,_

_I hope my letter finds you well. Eve sends her regards too. Everything's been pretty quiet here at the tower. I'm told that there will be a new female recruit here soon so that should make things more interesting because I'll have somebody to help train. I think I'm quite looking forward to that. As for how I'm feeling, I miss you terribly, little brother. Some time ago, Eve and I went out flying and managed to get caught in a storm. It was actually quite violent and I got thrown off my seat by very powerful wind. I was sure I was going to die right then but I was saved. It turned out that one of the male riders saw the storm coming and flew after me to warn me but just ended up saving my life instead. His name is Kalin and I think you'd like him. He hasn't actually said anything to this effect but I can tell he likes me. Oh don't worry, Toby. He's good looking and everything but no man could ever replace you. You're still the most important guy in my life. Still, if anything happens, the next step is to fix you up with the young woman riding with us. Her name's Luna and I think you'd really like her. I'm sure you've had enough of me writing about romance though so let me wrap up with this. I love you, Toby and I hope I can see you once you finish your studies._

_Love, your favorite sister Misty_

"Well, ain't that sweet?" Blister mocked. "Your sister's trying to fix you up!" Toby realized Blister had been reading over his shoulder the entire time.

"Blister!" Toby yelled, "That was supposed to be private! You can't just read other peoples' mail!"

"Actually, the law says I can't _open_ anyone else's mail. It says nothing about reading it once open."

"You'll find a loophole in anything won't you?"

"Only if I try," Blister said with a smirk. "Well, I have to get going now. Sayer's dinner isn't going to serve itself."

"Bye, Blister." Blister closed the door on his way out and Toby sat at his desk to work on a response letter.

* * *

><p>Akiza was all settled in her new chambers. The unpacking got done quickly thanks to Yusei's help. "Looks like we got everything," he said.<p>

"Thank you for helping. What about Rose?" Akiza asked. "Where has she gone?"

"Stardust took her to the Sanctuary, our dragon habitat. Shall we go see them?"

"Yes, please!" Akiza said excitedly. "Can we meet some of the other dragons?"

"Well, we'll see who's there."

They made their way upstairs to the Santuary's entrance. Yusei opened the door and Akiza was awestruck. It was perhaps the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. She saw lush green grass covering the hills, a forest full of sage green leaves, a great mountain with a waterfall rushing down it which became a brook that wound back and forth through the beautiful scenery. "Where are the dragons?" Akiza asked.

"Probably all out training with their riders," Yusei replied. As Yusei finished his sentence, a flurry of motion crossed in front of his eyes as dragon upon dragon jumped out of hiding.

"SURPRISE!" yelled the riders on the now visible dragons. Archie was the first to let out a loud roar.

"Archie!" Jack scolded. "There is a princess present!"

_Whoops. Sorry, Jack._ All the other riders began laughing. They all landed in front of the shocked pair and the riders dismounted and began to introduce themselves.

Jack approached Akiza first and took her hand as he bowed. "Hello, Princess. I am Jack Atlas, prince of Domin and this my partner Archie, an Archfiend Dragon. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Order of the Crimson Dragon."

"Actually Jack," Yusei said, "I already did that."

"Always have to spoil my fun, don't you Yusei?" Jack demanded. Akiza chuckled. Yusei could tell she was having fun laughing at him.

Crow was up next. "I'm Crow Hogan and this is Zephyr, a Black-Winged Dragon."

Two green haired youths approached Akiza. "I'm Leo!"

"And I'm Luna!"

"We're twins!" they said in unison. "These are Samuel and Lila, our dragons!" Leo and Luna both gave Akiza a hug and said "Welcome!"

A blonde woman and a young woman with glasses approached next. "I am Sherry LeBlanc and this is Jacque, a Felgrand Dragon."

"I'm Carly and this is Lance, a Spearhead Seiyaryu."

Finally, a silver haired man and a black haired woman stepped forward.

"My name is Misty," the woman said. "And this is Eve, my partner."

"Kalin," the man said smiling. "And this is Seeker."

"Well it's really nice to meet you all," Akiza said. "I think I love this place already!" As she finished speaking, Akiza heard rushed footsteps coming up the entryway. Everyone looked and saw a blue haired man stumble through the doorway.

"Am...am I late?" he gasped, completely out of breath.

"Bruno, are you okay?" Yusei asked the man.

"I'm fine. I just wanted to see the new girl but running up those stairs just kills me!" he said.

"Well, here she is. Akiza, this is Bruno, the best blacksmith the world has ever seen."

"Nice to meet you, Bruno," Akiza said extending her hand.

"Likewise, Princess," Bruno said shaking it. "We're going to have to fit you for armor soon so come see me when you're free. We can get started on that."

"Alright, everyone," Yusei began. "I think we've overwhelmed Akiza enough for today. It's getting late. Let's all get some rest for tomorrow. Akiza, is it alright if I leave you with the ladies? They'll get you acquainted with your living situation."

"Okay, sure," Akiza said reluctantly, not wanting to leave Yusei's presence just yet. She was having fun with him but there'd be plenty of time for that in the future. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Akiza went with her new female friends back to their hallway. Her room was next to Luna's and all the women shared a common room. They sat in that common room asking Akiza questions and telling her about the adventures they've had all about themselves.

"So what art are you studying Akiza?" Luna asked.

"Um...dragon riding?"

"We all do dragon riding here," Sherry said, "but what combat art do you practice?"

"Yeah, I'm a healer," Luna said, "Sherry's a druid, and Carly and Misty are magicians!"

"Oh...I don't have any combat experience."

"Well that's okay," Misty said. "You can try them all and discover which one you like best."

"What about the guys?" Akiza asked.

"By guys, do you mean Yusei?" Carly asked mischievously.

"What?" Akiza yelped as her face went red.

"Oh come on," Misty said. "It's obvious to us that you like him."

"It's okay," Sherry said reassuringly. "Carly's completely in love with Jack."

Carly's face went red. "Well, we should all go to bed now," she said desperate to avoid this conversation. She ran up the stairs to her room.

* * *

><p>Rose landed in her flower patch ready to go to sleep. She had just closed her eyes when she felt the earth vibrate. She pried her eyes ajar and saw Stardust hovering in front of her. <em>Everything alright?<em> he asked.

_Yes, it's great. Thank you, Stardust._

_For what?_

_For making this flowerbed._

_How'd you know?_

_The soil here has been tossed around...a lot._

_Sorry. Gardening is not one of my strong points. I just wanted to make up for threatening you when we first met._

_Well, you're more than forgiven. Thank you._

_Not at all. If you need anything, I'm perched on the mountain. Goodnight, Rose._

_Goodnight, Stardust._ Rose laid her head down and slept, feeling secure knowing she had somebody like Stardust to look after her.


	6. Chapter 5

**This chapter somehow got lost during the revisions. Now it's rewritten and hopefully better.**

**Chapter 5**

"All right, everybody! Saddle up!" Trudge yelled. "It's not good to keep the head combat instructor waiting!" The riders were gathered at the rooftop arena with their dragons. Everyone waited with their dragons at the edge of the arena while Trudge and his dragon, Brutus, who was blue and white and had three heads stood in the center. Akiza looked to see Yusei and Stardust directly across from them, with Sherry and Jacque to his right and Kalin and Seeker on his left. She looked on either side of her and saw Jack and Archie to her left and Luna and Lila on her right.

With everyone gathered, it was time for a combat demonstration. Akiza figured it was really just for her her benefit as she was the new girl.

"Okay, let's get started!" Trudge ordered. He then turned his head to Akiza. "Your highness, please join me at the center." Akiza did as she was told. "Now princess, I know you have little to no combat experience, but I want to see how much natural talent you have."

"Okay," Akiza said with some uncertainty.

Trudge unhitched a sheathed sword from his belt and handed it to her. "Try this weapon out. See how you like it." Akiza pulled the blade out and assessed it. It was light, but durable, and had one long curved edge. She gave it a few practice swings. "Whoa, there!" Trudge joked. "Don't cut my head off just yet!" Akiza blushed. "Let's see how well you can hold your own in a duel."

Akiza's eyes widened. She didn't see this coming. Trudge drew the other sword he held, which was slightly shorter, but wider and double-edged. "Whenever you're ready," Trudge said.

Akiza glanced at everyone around her. They were all staring right at her. Luna had a worried look on her face. Jack's face contained a mixture of cynicism and impatience. She looked right at Yusei, who gave her a small smile and a nod.

She then found the courage to rush right at Trudge. Unfortunately, he was well prepared for that. He parried her blow from above with ease and pushed her sword to the side. "That's not all you have, is it?" he taunted. Akiza readied another attack. This time, when he parried her attack from above, she followed up with an attack from the side. Trudge saw this and blocked it but held her blade in place this time, forcing her to struggle to finish her attack. Akiza looked at Trudge and saw that blocking her sword was warranting no effort from him. As soon as Trudge saw that she realized this, he swung his sword out from contact with hers, forcing her back. "All right. That's enough," he said.

"So how did I do?" Akiza asked.

"Better than I thought you would," Trudge said, "but without refining that technique of yours, you wouldn't last two seconds out on the battlefield."

"Oh," she whispered to herself.

"So with that in mind," Trudge began, "the Dragonmaster has ordered me to hold a little contest."

_A contest?_ Akiza thought. _What for?_

"The winner," Trudge continued, "gets the privilege of training our new recruit in the art of combat."

_Hang on_, Akiza thought. _Isn't that his job?_

"Those who the Dragonmaster has selected to compete are as follows: Crow Hogan, Kalin Kessler, Sherry LeBlanc, Jack Atlas, and Yusei Fudo. Mount your dragons!" Trudge said as he mounted his.

_Goodwin's having his riders compete to decide who trains me?_

"So the contest will be a short little combat session. All five of you versus me," Trudge said.

"How is that a competition?" Sherry asked.

"If you'll calm down, young lady," Trudge continued, "the winner will be the first one of you who lands a hit on me."

"Are you kidding?" Jack shouted. "That's no contest at all!"

"Well then, Jack," Trudge barked, "If you're so confident, then have at me!"

"With pleasure!" Archie roared and flew straight at Brutus as Jack drew his sword. Archie swerved in front of Trudge and Jack swung his fearsome weapon. Brutus then slugged Archie in the stomach with one of his massive arms, sending both him and Jack flying to the upper reaches of the arena, where the crashed into the top row. "One down, four to go!" Trudge said. Akiza was amazed that Jack and Archie had been taken down so easily.

"My turn!" Sherry yelled. She and Jacque flew up high and dove quickly toward their opponent. Sherry jumped off her saddle and readied her sword, Jacque flanking Trudge on his other side. Unfortunately, Brutus caught them both in his arms and threw them to the wall of the arena. "Dividing and conquering isn't going to work on me!"

Crow looked at Kalin, then at Yusei. Crow and Zephyr flew straight at Trudge, and Kalin and Seeker did the same. Crow swung with his axe, then retreated as Kalin flew in with his twin swords, he then retreated as Crow came in for another attack. Akiza saw Stardust fly above Trudge and Yusei jump off, sword drawn. Akiza realized what was going on. Crow and Kalin distracted Trudge so Yusei could dive from above when Trudge wasn't looking. Yusei landed on Brutus' back, grabbed Trudge by the neck and put his sword at his throat. "Looks like I win," he said.

"Yes," Trudge agreed. "Congratulations, Yusei. You've won the honor of training the princess."

_YES!_ Akiza thought.

"All right, everyone!" Trudge yelled to the rest of the riders. "I hope you learned something from all of that. Someone make sure Jack and Sherry get healed up. Dismissed!"

Most of the riders began to file out of the arena. Misty and Carly walked with Sherry to get her to the infirmary, while their dragons supported Jacque on their way back to the Sanctuary. Crow and Kalin lifted Jack onto their shoulders while Zephyr and Seeker carried an unconscious Archie away. The only ones left were Yusei, Akiza, and their dragons.

"So..." Yusei said.

"Yes?" Akiza responded.

"Shall we get started?" he asked.

* * *

><p>Crow fell down on the lunge couch, exhausted. "Man, what a day!"<p>

"That was some show that Trudge put on today," Leo said before going back to tinkering with his crossbow.

"Hey Crow," Luna asked, "did you plan that maneuver that you, Kalin and Yusei pulled off?"

"Not really, I knew we'd let Yusei win as soon as Trudge announced the contest. He deserves to train the princess."

"Is it because he really likes her?" Luna asked. "I bet it is. Don't you think so, Leo?"

"Huh?" Leo's head jerked up from his work. "Uh, yeah. Sure, Sis. Whatever you say."

"Leo! You're not even listening!"

"I'm busy!"

"Will you kids keep it down?" Crow scolded. "I can't hear myself sleep!"

"How do you hear yourself sleep?" Leo asked.

"Just fix your crossbow, already!"

"You're not hurt from today, are you, Crow?" Luna asked.

"Nope. Just exhausted. If you're worried about injuries, you should go check on Jack and Sherry."

"I think I will," she said, turning to leave the lounge. She stopped and turned back around. "But I am right about those two. They like each other. I just know it!"

Leo and Crow exchanged glances once Luna left the room. "She's your sister," Crow smirked.

"Can't argue with that," Leo conceded. "You think she's on to something?"

"Probably," Crow said. "She's a smart girl, your sister. And Yusei has gone out of his way to make sure Akiza's comfortable here. Makes you wonder..."

"Wonder what?" came a voice from behind them. They looked and saw a pretty worn out Akiza standing in the threshold.

"Hey, there!" Crow greeted. "How was training with Yusei?"

"Can something be a lot of work and a lot of fun at the same time?" she asked. "Because that's how it was."

"Well, good. That means you enjoyed it," Leo replied.

"And you probably learned a lot too," Crow said. "Yusei's a great swordsman."

"He's an amazing swordsman!" Akiza exclaimed. "He puts all the knights at my parents' castle to shame!"

"Don't let that go to his head," Crow joked.

"But he's also so humble, so his pride never gets the better of him."

"Sounds like you two are getting to know each other rather well," Crow smiled.

Akiza blushed. "Well, I...I..."

"Ha! I'm just teasing you, Princess!"

"Oh," Akiza breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry. I'm just completely exhausted."

"Today's pretty much over," Crow said. "Why don't you head back to your room and rest?"

"Good idea," she said. "Some sleep will do wonders for me. Goodnight, Crow. Goodnight, Leo."

"Goodnight, Princess," they both said.

After she was out of earshot, Leo turned back to Crow and asked "What do you think?"

Crow replied "I think your sister might be on to something."

* * *

><p>Akiza left the lounge and headed back toward her chambers, she turned a corner and found herself face to face with Yusei. "Hi," she said.<p>

Hi," he replied.

She broke the ice. "So...um...thanks for today. I learned a lot from you."

"It was my pleasure," Yusei said. "Shall we do it again soon?"

"Yes, please!" she said, forgetting that she was tired at all. "Can you help me tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" Yusei repeated. "That soon? You don't want time to practice on your own?"

"It'll be better if I have you around to correct my technique," she smiled. Yusei knew he couldn't say 'no' to that smile.

"Oh, okay," he said. "I can train with you tomorrow too."

"Great!" she beamed as she threw her arms around him to hug him. Yusei was surprised but suddenly gladdened by this gesture, and returned it wholeheartedly. "Thank you so much, Yusei."

"It's really not a problem," Yusei said. "I'm pretty open tomorrow, unless Master Goodwin wants me to..."

"That's not what I mean," she said, still hugging him. "Thank you for showing me that I can belong here."

"You're welcome, Akiza."

"Okay, I'm going to bed now," she said, finally letting go of him. "It's been a long day. Goodnight, Yusei."

"Goodnight, Akiza. Sleep well," he wished her as she walked away. "Guess I'd better get ready, then," he said to himself.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Sayer paced up and down his room waiting for his package to arrive. He was giddy with excitement which was not a pretty sight. Everything he ever wanted would soon be his, a prospect that he was very much thrilled with. Sayer held a chest tightly under his arm waiting for him. The wind blew the window open and the candles blew out. "Great," Sayer muttered, putting the chest down to try and light the candles again.

"I was wondering when you were going to stop pacing, Sayer," came a voice from the darkness. Sayer was dumbstruck. It was definitely him. Sayer knew that voice all too well. In fact, the sound of his voice was the only thing Sayer knew about him but still, why didn't he sense his presence? "The look on your face never gets old," the voice said. Sayer decided to ignore the man's theatrics and skip straight to business.

"Do you have what I requested?" he asked.

"That depends," the voice said. "Did you fill your quota?"

"Did you expect anything less from my hunters and I?"

"Give it to me, Sayer."

"Right. Always so pushy." Sayer opened up the chest he put down and pulled a large object no bigger than a loaf of bread wrapped in cloth. In the dim moonlight, Sayer saw a hand reach out of the darkness for the object. Sayer's curiosity got the better of him. He grabbed for the hand and just as he made contact, another one shot out of the shadows, this one holding a very sharp blade pointed directly at Sayer's throat. "Oh come on," Sayer whined. "I just wanted to see what you look like!"

"Shouldn't your powers do that for you or are you still having trouble detecting me?" the voice laughed then turned deadly. "Quit it already or my dagger will do it for you." With that, Sayer let go of the man's hand, the hand took the object and the second hand lowered the blade. "As for what you requested, you'll find it in the chest you just opened." Sayer quickly turned 180 degrees back to the chest. Suddenly, the window closed and the candles flickered and began burning again. Light once again filled the room and Sayer looked behind him and saw no one there.

He didn't care, however. Sayer's excitement grew to enormous proportions as he undid the lid on the chest and opened it again. What he found made his eyes gleam with greed as the most evil smile crept across his face.

* * *

><p>"Ouch!" Akiza cried. "Too tight!"<p>

"Sorry!" Bruno said apologetically. "I need to get these measurements just right." He put his tape measure down and scribbled his notes on a piece of paper.

"How many more left?" she asked.

"Just two," Bruno replied. "but before we get to those, I sketched some ideas of what your armor could look like. Do you want to see them?"

"Yes, please!" Bruno fished out three sheets of paper with different designs on them. Akiza took a good look at the first one. "Hmm..."

"Well, you don't seem to like it, so I'll scrap it."

She turned her head to see the second. "Umm...Sorry but no."

"That's okay. It's only a sketch." As Akiza looked at the third, her eyes widened. "Akiza," Bruno said, "are you okay?"

"Bruno...this one..."

"What about it?"

"I love it!"

"What? Really?"

"Yes! Can you actually do it?"

"Of course I can! I'm just relieved you actually like one of these. You have no idea how hard it is to design for girls!"

Akiza laughed. "Well now that's decided, let's finish up the measurements. I'm going to train with Yusei afterward!"

As Bruno started the last of his measurements, he asked "How's that sword of yours doing, by the way?"

"It's fine. It has a few dents in it but it still works."

"I see...Well, I'm all done. You can go train now!"

"Great! Thanks, Bruno!" Akiza yelled back at him as she left.

Bruno sat back down at his desk and sighed. "She just had to go and pick the most complicated design I came up with." He put his head down on the desk. "I need an apprentice."

* * *

><p>Akiza got to the rooftop arena but saw no Yusei. Instead, clad in black leather holding two katanas, was Kalin. "Hello, Princess," Kalin said politely.<p>

"Uh...Hi, Kalin. I thought I was going to meet Yusei up here."

"Yusei was called up by Master Goodwin an hour ago. Before he left, he asked me to help train you today. So here I am."

"Well, thanks." Akiza was disappointed that Yusei got called away but thought it would probably be good for her to train with someone else for a change. She drew her sword and Kalin sheathed one of his. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"I should be asking you that," he said. "You're already ahead of me."

Akiza nodded and charged Kalin, who readied his sword. Akiza brought all of her force down on him but Kalin parried the blow like it was nothing. "Use too much power, and you leave yourself vulnerable," he said. Akiza understood and switched to using one hand and she and Kalin exchanged blows, each parried by the other. This carried on for a while until Akiza got tired. Kalin stood tall and said "You're technique is good. Yusei's taught you well. The only thing you really lack at this point is stamina, but that will come the more you practice."

"Kalin?" a voice came from the arena's entrance. Akiza looked behind herself and saw Misty coming up the steps. "Oh, there you are."

"Misty..." Kalin stopped and stared right at her.

"Oh, am I interrupted something?" Misty asked concerned.

Akiza stood up. "No, it's fine. Kalin's helping me with my swordplay," she said.

"Oh," she said surprised. "I thought Yusei was training you."

"Master Goodwin got to him today so he asked me to help her out," he said.

"Do you mind if I watch?" Misty asked.

"I have no problem with that," Kalin said with a small smile.

Akiza readied her sword again but noticed that Kalin couldn't take his eyes off Misty. "Kalin!"

"Hm?" Kalin said, his eyes still fixed on the sorceress.

"Don't you need to look at me to train properly?"

"Oh, right." Kalin turned back to face Akiza. Misty smiled.

* * *

><p>After a good while of dueling with a considerably distracted Kalin, Akiza decided to call it quits. "I'm hungry. Let's go get dinner."<p>

"Um...I'll catch up later," Kalin said, his eyes wandering back toward Misty.

"Oh, okay," Akiza said, understanding what Kalin was up to. She sheathed her sword and headed down the stairs to the arena. Kalin then turned to face the beautiful woman approaching him.

"Hi," he said quietly.

"Hi," she replied. "You know, you're a really great fighter."

"Well, thank you but I was actually a bit distracted just then."

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I get nervous sometimes..."

"You mean when I'm around?"

"...yeah," Kalin said, a little ashamed.

"I think it was sweet that you helped Akiza train."

"Well, Yusei asked me too. He's my best friend and I don't ignore that."

"You're still very sweet."

"I'm not really."

"Of course you are!"

"Misty, I've done things, things I'm not proud of."

"You saved my life once."

"Yes, I suppose I did. I never had the courage to talk to you when I first saw you but when I saw you flying away and I knew there was a storm coming, I flew after you, just to make sure you were okay."

Misty looked right into his eyes before taking his gloved hand in hers. "And I'm so glad you did. Kalin, I don't care what your past has been. To me, you'll always be the handsome man who saved my life."

Kalin smiled. "Misty?"

"Hm?"

"I've always seen you in a different light than any other girl here. I just want you to know that..."

"That what?" Her other hand grabbed his and Kalin turned a deep shade of red, although it was difficult to tell against the fading sunlight. "Come on, Kalin. Tell me."

"I..." Kalin knew what he wanted to say but couldn't form the words in his mouth. Instead of waiting for him to get it right, Misty touched his pale face with the palm of her hand.

"It's all right. I think I can guess what you want to say." She then wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Kalin hugged her back. "How long have you known?" he whispered in her ear.

"Ever since that day when you saved me," she said. "You acted a lot like you are now and I just knew."

"So now that we're...at this place, what do we do?" Kalin asked.

"Well, it is getting dark and cold." Kalin instinctively pulled her closer to him to try and keep her warm.

"You know, we do have fires lit inside," a voice came from above. The two riders looked up and saw Yusei and Stardust descending.

Misty looked at Kalin laughing. "Yusei," Kalin said, "I think we're fine."

"All right, suit yourself," he said. "Did Akiza's training go well today?"

"Yes it did, but you owe me now."

"What?"

"Don't worry, Yusei. I was only joking."

"Um, okay. Goodnight Misty."

"Goodnight Yusei. Goodnight Stardust."

_Goodnight, you two._ Stardust ascended once more, then disappeared over the arena's walls.

"Shall we head inside and find a fire?" Misty asked, still hugging Kalin's tall frame.

"I'd like nothing more," Kalin replied with a smile on his face.

"While we're inside, I have an idea I want to share," Misty said with a mischievous gleam in her eye.

"Uh-oh," Kalin thought. "What have I gotten myself into?"


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Yusei was all alone on the rooftop arena. It was nighttime. He felt the floor beneath his feet tremble and quake. He looked up over the arena's walls and saw a giant serpent-like creature, whose form was hidden in the darkness, but he could see a claw that held something in its grasp. The moonlight shone right on it and Yusei could see what...no...who it was. "AKIZA!" he yelled.

"YUSEI! HELP ME!" she yelled back, terrified of the creature whose clutches she was caught in.

"HOLD ON! I'M COMING!" Yusei turned around to call his dragon. "STARDUST!" he yelled.

_Over here..._Yusei heard a faint reply in his mind. He turned around and saw his friend sprawled out on the ground, gasping for breath. Yusei could see a pool of blood surrounding his partner.

"No..." Yusei stood shocked. Stardust let out one defiant roar and let his head fall limp on the hard stone floor.

_Let this be a warning to you, Yusei Fudo,_ a voice came from the shadowed beast. _This is what will come to pass. Your order will fall, your friends will die, and dragonkind will be no more._

"NO!" Yusei shouted. "Whatever you are, I will stop you!"

_Then try, little warrior._

* * *

><p>Yusei awoke drenched in sweat. "What was that?" he asked himself. "That wasn't real. It was a dream. Mind you, it felt real." He got out of his bed and walked over to the balcony. He stood outside and watched the stars. Yusei always liked to look at the lights of the night. He never ceased to be amazed by the vast expanse of the universe. One day, he'd go and explore as much of the world as he could. It was out there waiting for him. The wind picked up and Yusei could feel it on his chest. It was gentle but powerful. Yusei felt the wind this way whenever he flew with Stardust. That was why he loved flying so much. It allowed him to become one with the wind.<p>

Meanwhile, to his right, Akiza couldn't go to sleep. She got up, put on a robe and ventured out on to her balcony. _The stars look so pretty tonight,_ she thought. _Maybe I'll just fall asleep out...is that Yusei?_ She looked to her left and saw him on the next balcony over...with no shirt. Her heart went aflutter and Akiza blushed vividly enough for someone to see from miles away. Fortunately for her, Yusei was concentrated on something in the sky and hadn't noticed her yet.

Or so she thought.

"You couldn't sleep either?" she heard him say.

_Is he talking to me?_ she thought. _He can't be. He hasn't even looked in my direction!_

"I know you're there, Akiza." Akiza's heart skipped a beat. "I can sense you." With that, Yusei ran toward her and jumped off the edge of his balcony, cleared the gap, and landed quietly on her side. "My mark tingles when another rider is nearby." He held up his right arm.

Akiza had never seen his mark before. It was an outline of a dragon's head and it looked quite fierce. Akiza rolled up her sleeve and looked at her mark. The claw on her arm looked like it belonged to the same dragon whose head was on Yusei's arm.

"They look kind of...similar. Don't they?" she asked.

"I think you're right," Yusei replied.

"What do you think it means?"

"I'm not sure, but that's one reason why we're here, isn't it?"

"I guess so."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there today," Yusei said, turning and leaning forward against the balcony.

"It's okay," she said reassuringly while positioning herself next to him. "Kalin was quite a help. It was good to train with someone else for a change so don't feel bad."

"Well that's good." Yusei's eyes never left the sky.

"Are you all right?" she asked him.

Yusei turned his head to face her. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You just seem a little distant," she said.

"I just like looking at the night sky, that's all."

"I've never really taken the time to look at it."

"Well let me show you my favorite thing to see at night," he said as he put his arm around her shoulder and pointed upward.

Akiza could see a star with a slightly red tint to it. "It it the reddish one?"

"Yup. That is the Dragon Star. Some say it is the home of the Crimson Dragon, the spirit who protects the land."

"I've only ever heard about the Crimson Dragon. I don't know anything about it."

"There are various legends on how the Crimson Dragon came to be. Nobody can really agree on its origin but we do know that it appears to people it deems worthy to share its power with. It first appeared centuries ago when the first human united with a dragon. The Crimson Dragon blessed this union and gave the warrior and his dragon great power."

"Have you ever seen it?"

Yusei looked at her. He studied her and finally said, "Once."

"Really?"

"Akiza, I've never told anyone about this."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"No, no! I want to tell you," he said grabbing her hand. "I just want you know that I'm trusting you with my secret."

"Yusei, I'm honored but are you sure you want to tell me?" she asked.

"I'm sure."

"Okay."

Yusei began, still holding her hand. "When I was a small child, my caretaker, Martha, and I were outside the city where we lived having a picnic. We suddenly saw the destruction wrought from a magical explosion from where we were. When we went back, there was nothing left of the city. We don't know what happened but because of it, my entire family died that day."

"Yusei..." she squeezed his hand. To lose everything he held dear, it was unfathomable to her, who had lived in luxury her entire life.

"We came back to the site where the city used to be and I saw it. The Crimson Dragon flew overhead toward a nearby mountain. Martha and I went to the mountain still following the dragon's flight. Eventually, we found the remnants of a nest. There was a blue and white egg still intact and it bore this mark." Yusei held out his arm again. "The Crimson Dragon guided me to the egg that would hatch to become my best friend."

"Stardust?" Akiza asked.

"Yes," Yusei confirmed. "The explosion did more damage than we originally thought. Stardust's parents and any brothers and sisters he might have had were taken away that day. We were both orphans. We both lost our families. But we had each other."

"I'm so sorry, Yusei," Akiza's eyes began to water. She wiped them dry. "Hang on," she said. "I've heard this story. My parents told me about a city that was completely razed by a magical explosion about fifteen years ago. The great city of Satell. Is that where you're from?"

Yusei nodded. "I'm one of three survivors of that once great city. Martha, Stardust, and me."

"Where is Martha now?" Akiza asked.

"She lives here at the tower," Yusei replied. "After Master Goodwin found us, he began training me as a rider and gave her a job as a Handmaiden. It didn't take her long to become top Handmaiden."

Akiza giggled. "Well I'm glad you found a new home, Yusei," she said. "Otherwise, I never would have had the privilege of meeting you." She let go of his hand and hugged his neck. Yusei wrapped his arms around her waist and let her head rest on his shoulder.

"I..." Yusei was struggling to speak. "I've found something lately that I like looking at more than the night sky."

"What might that be?"

"You," he said with complete sincerity. Akiza lifted her head and looked at him, her arms still around his neck. Her expression was one of surprise.

"You..." she was the one struggling to speak now. "What do you mean?"

"I suppose I should start from the beginning. I had a talk with Kalin earlier." Yusei recalled the conversation.

* * *

><p><em>"Yusei, have you guessed why I wanted to talk to you yet?"<em>

_"No, what is it?"_

_"It's about a certain princess that tickles your fancy."_

_"What?"_

_"Come on, Yusei. It's painfully obvious."_

_"But...I..."_

_"It's all right, my friend. I'm not judging you. I want to help you."_

_"Help me?"_

_"Yes. I was lucky to find the courage to tell Misty how I felt about her. I want to help you do the same."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because I think it will do you a world of good. It certainly has done so for me."_

_"Kalin, she's a princess! I'm nobody."_

_"Yusei, if you don't tell her how you feel, it will eat away at you forever. You can't go through life avoiding this issue."_

_"You're right. What do I have to do?"_

* * *

><p>"So Kalin gave you advice on how to talk to a princess?" Akiza asked suspiciously.<p>

"Kalin's a knowledgeable fellow. He told me that I should tell you where I came from and how I met my dragon. I should tell you about me. The trouble is, I don't have a nice past."

Akiza smiled, then leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Maybe not," she said, "but I'll help you make your present nicer than your past."

"Akiza!" Yusei gasped as he clutched his cheek. "You're a princess! I'm a commoner! You shouldn't be stooping to my status!"

"Yusei," she said, "first of all, you're a dragon rider. You are certainly not common. Second of all, you are a very rare person with a heart that outweighs anyone else's."

"Akiza..." Yusei whispered. "Thank you."

"Now, sit down with me and show me some more stars," she said with a smile.

"My pleasure, dear princess." The two riders sat down on the balcony, Yusei put his arm around Akiza's shoulders and after an hour of stargazing, they both fell asleep in each others' arms.

* * *

><p>Goodwin was up late too. He stood at the entrance to the tower and listened. Eventually, he heard the hooves of a horse galloping his way. The horse reached Goodwin and its rider dismounted and bowed before the Dragonmaster.<p>

"Master Goodwin."

"What news do you have?"

"The governor of Arcadia is up to something."

"I'm well aware that the governor performs suspicious actions under cover of darkness. What are the specifics of his operation?"

"He has been hunting dragons more frequently than usual and is gathering magical artifacts. What they are for, I don't know but I've written a report with some sketches of the artifacts. I thought you could possibly divine their purpose." The man handed Goodwin a scroll.

"You've done well, my spy. It's well known that the governor of Arcadia has never been friendly toward dragons but hopefully this information will give us grounds to inspect him. Anyway, come inside and rest in your quarters. Everyone will be glad to see you again."

"Thank you, Master Goodwin."

"Oh no, Blister," Goodwin said clutching the report. "Thank you.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Well? Is he acting as we predicted?"

"Yes, Father. I gave him the globe. The madman from Arcadia is going through with his plan."

"Excellent. Remember, son, that we cannot let him completely succeed. No doubt the Order of the Crimson Dragon will be useful in that effort. It will be fun watching them squirm while fighting that fool. And if any of them die, all the better for us."

"Bah! Why do we even need him? He has taken years to do what I could do in a week!"

"You are indeed a master assassin but your pride is getting the better of you, my son. Do not forget that we live in the public eye. If my son were seen carrying out our plan, the Order would be quick to target us."

"I know how to disguise myself!"

"I'm afraid we can't take that risk. Besides, why dirty our hands when we can have others do it for us?"

"You are content to let subordinates take all of the glory?"

"We will have our glory when our goal is achieved, my son. In the meantime, if the dogs from the Order try to sniff us out, your brother has a plan in motion."

"You're letting him make plans now?"

"It was a good plan. One that I approved. Now your orders are to return to Rosland and keep a watchful eye on our little puppet. Should his strings become too tangled, feel free to sever them completely."

"As you wish, Father."

* * *

><p>After Goodwin read Blister's report, he had his personal handmaiden, Mina, go down to the archives to find information on the artifacts presented within. Mina perused the library while reading the report and matching the sketches to illustrations from the Order's archives. The report noted that the governor of Arcadia had been in dealings with an unknown party. It was not known what the governor was supplying these people with, but Blister had written that he had received magical artifacts as payment.<p>

One object was particularly intriguing. It was a green globe with complicated designs etched in its surface. After searching though several large tomes, she found a true illustration. When she read the artifact's history and purpose, her mouth went agape. She scooped up her papers and the book and ran back to Goodwin's office.

She burst through the doors. "Master Goodwin!" she yelled frantic.

"Mina, what's the matter?" Goodwin asked.

"The artifacts the governor of Arcadia has in his possession...well, one of them is..."

"Yes? Spit it out, Mina!" Rather than say another word, Mina placed the open book on her master's desk. Goodwin read the open page very carefully. "I see," he said. "It seems Sayer's foolish ambition is going to warrant a visit from us. I will visit the king of Rosland come the sunrise. In the meantime, get some rest."

"Yes, sir."

As Mina left the office, Goodwin put the book down and sighed. "That fool," he said. "There's a reason that that item hasn't been used for centuries."

* * *

><p>Crow woke up as the sun peeked through the shutters in his room. He opened the windows and stared out on to the open plains that stretched out for miles. "Today will be a good day for flying!" he said to himself. "Maybe I should go wake up Zephyr now."<p>

"Crow!" he heard Jack yell from his adjoining room. "Yusei's gone!"

"What are you yelling at me for? Yusei always gets up before us."

"His outfit is still in his closet! Does Yusei wander the halls of the tower half-naked?"

"I see your point but I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation," Crow said.

"Found him!" came Kalin's voice. With that, Crow burst into Yusei's room to see Kalin out on the balcony pointing toward the girls' wing. He and Jack joined him and looked where Kalin was pointing. Sure enough, there on the girls' balcony, was Yusei asleep, cuddling with a sleeping Akiza, with no shirt on.

"Ha!" Crow laughed. "Ain't that sweet?"

"I guess my advice worked rather well," Kalin smiled.

"Y'know, we could take this opportunity to embarrass the hell out of him," Jack suggested.

"Do we really want to do that, Jack?" Crow asked.

"You're right, Crow," Jack said. "Better to wait until everyone is together."

"What? Jack! That's not what I meant!"

"Here guys," Kalin spoke up. "We can do this." Kalin scribbled something on a small piece of paper, pushed a small dart through it, and threw it at the sleeping couple. It landed on the stone surface without a sound. "They'll find that when they wake up," he said with a smile. "You know, if the girls find him in their wing, he'll be in for a shock."

* * *

><p>Stardust's eyes pried themselves open as the first rays of sunlight hit his face. <em>Grrr. Why couldn't I have picked a mountain with some shade to sleep on? And that was a weird dream I had last night.<em>

_What dream was that then?_ came a voice in the dragon's mind. He looked down and saw Rose making her way up the mountain to say good morning.

_Ah, good morning Rose. You want to know what I dreamed about?_

_Yes, please._

_Well Yusei was there, although that's common because sometimes Yusei and I share dreams because of our bond. It's never anything to worry about, just as I'm sure this one isn't either, but it was a little disturbing._

_Akiza and I have had shared dreams before,_ Rose said._ What happened?_ she then asked.

_Well I remember I couldn't see very well and I was in a lot of pain. I could make out Yusei in the dark and a big shadowy serpent-like thing with wings and giant claws._

_Another dragon?_ Rose asked.

_Whatever it was, _Stardust said, _it was definitely not a dragon. That thing had 'evil' written all over it. I just hope we never run into anything like that._

_Well it was just a dream so I don't think we need to worry about it, Stardust._

_You're right, Rose. I was going to fly a few laps around the tower today. Care to race me?_

_We both know how that would turn out. You're much faster than I am._

_That doesn't mean it wouldn't be fun._ Rose gave Stardust a glare. _Oh come on! I'll get lonely by myself._

_Fine. You're such a fledgling._ The two dragons took off and flew out of the Sanctuary. As Rose had predicted, Stardust was still much faster than her and he beat her at every turn they took around the tower. After a few laps, they flew to a nearby mountain to explore. They landed on the mountain's peak to catch some rest. Looking out over the plains below, they could see the tower stretching toward the heavens as a beacon to all that passed this way.

Rose decided to ask Stardust something that was on her mind._ Stardust, do you ever worry about Yusei?_

Stardust thought for a minute, then spoke. _Well I suppose I do, but only in the most dire of situations. Yusei has a great head on his shoulders and he knows how to use it. _

_Dire situations? Like what? _Rose asked._  
><em>

_There was this one time where he went hunting in the Dread Forest without me and was attacked by a monstrous condor. He got several deep gashes and at that moment, even though I was still at the Sanctuary, I could sense that he needed my help. So I flew where my instincts took me and I found him collapsed on the ground. I picked him up and flew him back to the tower where Luna healed him up and Martha looked after him for a while._

_Wow,_ she said stunned. She knew that Yusei and Stardust were close but she didn't really realize the strength of their bond until now. _I can't sense where Akiza is. We must not be as close as the two of you._

_That's not true!_ Stardust exclaimed. _The bond between dragons and humans is a mysterious force. It manifests itself in many ways. Just because your bond with Akiza doesn't manifest itself in the same way that mine does with Yusei doesn't mean it's inferior. We're all equals in the eyes of the Crimson Dragon._

_Thank you, Stardust,_ Rose said. _It's just that I worry about Akiza._

_Why is that?_

_All the training we've done has been good for us both but I don't think we're ready for a real battle yet. I'm not sure that Akiza realizes that though. She gets so caught up in learning the art of combat that she doesn't realize that she's never been in a battle before._

_Well if you're really that worried, tell Akiza that she should talk to Leo and Luna._

_What about?_

_Magic._

_Magic?_

_Defensive magic. For protection in battle. Leo focuses on augmenting his weapons(which he can't stop tinkering with anyway) while Luna focuses on shielding the body from harm. The twins may be young but they come from a long line of magic-users._

_Well that's great. I will suggest that to Akiza today._ Rose looked back toward the tower. _Shall we head back?_ she asked.

_Yes. Let's,_ Stardust replied. The two dragons took off again. Stardust did his best to not fly so fast that he would lose Rose behind him. He then spoke up. _I lied before._

_What? What about?_

_I said we were all equal in the eyes of the Crimson Dragon...and...well...I was wrong._

_What? What do you mean?_

_You...you are perhaps...the most...pretty dragon...I've ever met._

Rose stopped in midair. Stardust stopped once he realized she had. They hovered there with Rose making Stardust very uneasy with a glare_. _She then began laughing._ Okay pretty boy, stop pulling my tail._

_What?_ Stardust was shocked. Rose found the thought of him finding her attractive laughable.

_Stop kidding around, I said!_

_Rose..._

_How gullible do you think I am?_

_Rose..._

_What!_

_I wasn't joking,_ Stardust said despondently.

_You weren't?_ Rose just realized how unbelievably cruel she had just been. _Stardust, I'm..._

_No, forget it. You were right. It was a stupid thing to say__._

_No! It wasn't that. I just thought you didn't mean it._

_Why wouldn't I mean it?_

_I...I don't know. But I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings._

_Well you did._

_How can I make it up to you then?_

Stardust thought for a minute and then said_ Follow me,_ and took off into the mountain range. Rose followed him closely.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Akiza woke up and found herself still leaning against Yusei and his arm still wrapped around her. She was about to shake him awake but saw a dart on the floor piercing a scrap of paper. She picked it up and read the note:

_Good going, Yusei! You can bet everyone's going to hear about this. -J, C, & K._

"Oh, no!" Akiza yelped. "They saw us together!"

"Huh?" Yusei awoke suddenly. "What happened?"

"Your friends saw us sleeping here!" she said frantic. "They're going to tell everybody!"

"Oh boy." Yusei jumped to his feet and leaped back to his balcony. He then turned around and said "I'll see you later, Akiza."

"Yeah, yeah. Go stop them!"

"Right." Yusei dove back into his room.

Akiza breathed a sigh of relief. She sat back down on the balcony. The curtain opened and Carly poked her head out. "Akiza?" she said. "What are you doing? Have you been out here all night?"

Akiza went red. She had no idea what to say. "I...uh...just wanted to see the stars last night. That's all," she lied.

"Then who did I hear you yelling at?" Carly asked. "And what are you holding in your hand?"

Akiza quickly shoved the dart and the note behind her back. "In order, no one and nothing," she said.

"I don't believe you." As soon as Carly spoke, her glasses glowed. She gasped. "Yusei was here last night?"

"How did you do that?" Akiza asked.

"These glasses come in quite handy for reading things people keep hidden," Carly said with a mischievous smile.

Akiza sighed and pulled the note out from behind her back. "Carly, promise you won't say anything please?"

"What's the matter, Akiza?" she laughed. "We all know you like Yusei a lot. The only one who didn't notice when you first got here was him!" Akiza didn't know what to say. Carly went on. "I guess I'm trying to say I won't tell anyone because I don't have to."

"Really?" Akiza said. "Everyone knows anyway?"

Suddenly, Sherry poked her head out of the curtain. "What does everyone know?"

"That Akiza's in love with Yusei," Carly said.

"Oh, definitely," Sherry said before disappearing into the common room.

Akiza turned bright red. "What? I never said I was in love with him!" she yelled.

"Come on, Akiza. Let's go get breakfast," Carly said.

* * *

><p>Stardust and Rose flew together down a rocky valley. He kept a solemn look on his face the entire time. Rose felt so guilty for laughing in his face when he told her she was pretty but all she could do for now was follow him wherever he was going.<p>

_Stardust, I..._ she began.

_Not now_, he interrupted. Suddenly, he took a sharp dive down into the valley. Rose quickly reacted and followed him. As they flew further down, Rose saw an object glisten in the sunlight. She then surmised that that was what Stardust was headed for. As he began to slow down, so did she and the object came into full view. It looked like a giant egg. But it couldn't be. Eggs were very small compared to this...rock. That had to have been what it was. Whatever it was, someone was kneeling before it. Stardust landed directly behind them and Rose behind him, not sure what to do.

"I thought you might show up today, little one," the person said. Rose heard a woman's voice come from the robed body.

_Martha, must you call me 'little one' so much?_ Stardust responded.

"I'm sorry, Stardust," the woman said. "I just always see you as the little hatchling Yusei raised with little eggshell fragments on his tail."

_I'm all grown up, Martha. So is Yusei._

"You're right. I assume you're here to pay your respects?"

_Respects?_ Rose thought.

_Yes, but today I've brought someone with me, _Stardust said._  
><em>

Martha looked behind him and saw Rose. "Oh how wonderful!" Martha exclaimed. "You've found a mate!"

Rose went stiff. Stardust went frantic. _No, Martha! She's...she's not.._

"She's not mute, Stardust," Martha scolded. "Let her speak for herself. Honestly, did I teach you any manners?" She turned her attention to Rose and walked up to her. "What's your name, dear?"

_Rose, ma'am._

Martha burst out laughing, "Oh child, don't call me ma'am. That makes me sound like a crotchety old woman!" She reached out and stroked Rose's snout. "Call me Martha, please."

_As you wish, Martha._

"Thank you, Rose," Martha said politely. "So Stardust, if she isn't your mate, then what is she to you?"

_I...uh..._ Stardust stammered.

"I'll let it go this time, little one, but you had better have an answer next time," she scolded.

_Yes, Martha._ Stardust resigned. Rose thought it was funny to see Stardust completely humbled before this woman. She did have a point, however. Just what did Stardust feel toward her? She'd have to get him to open up again. That would prove difficult seeing as laughing in his face made him feel really hurt.

She decided to ask about the giant egg-shaped stone. _What is this? It looks like an egg._

_This is the monument that Yusei and I made to commemorate the loss of our families_, Stardust said. _We found a giant boulder in this mountain range. Yusei cut it into a basic shape and I used my dragon breath to smooth it out and give it the sparkle._ _We visit it every so often to remember the ones we lost and to remind us that life goes on._

Stardust walked forward and lowered his snout to almost touch the stone. Martha walked up beside him and gave his snout a gentle pat. "It's all right, little one," she said.

Stardust turned back to Rose. _Yusei, Martha, and I came from the great city of Satell. The magical explosion killed both our families. I hadn't even hatched yet, but the Crimson Dragon guided Yusei to find my egg. I thought showing you this would help you to understand...me,_ he said.

_I think I do understand,_ she replied. _I think I finally understand the pain you and Yusei have endured in your lives._ _And I'm sorry, Stardust. I really am. Thank you for showing me this monument and telling me your history._

"All right, you two. That's enough sad talk," Martha said cheerily. "You two should fly back to the tower. Your partners may want your help in some training."

_You're right. _Rose said._ Thank you, Martha._ Rose spread her wings and began to fly back to the tower. Stardust was about to follow suit when Martha called to him.

"Stardust, you need to quit messing with her feelings. Tell her how you really feel. If you don't, you really will regret it."

_I understand. Thank you, Martha._ Stardust took off after Rose_. _Martha turned back around to the giant stone.

"Yes, your little boy has grown up quite a bit, hasn't he?" she said glancing over her shoulder at two pairs of wings disappearing into the clouds._  
><em>

* * *

><p>Crow bit into an apple. Jack sipped at his coffee. Kalin held a piece of buttered toast in his hand. All three dragon riders had their eyes fixed on Yusei, who was busy across the table dressing his eggs with salsa all while keeping a close eye on his teammates.<em><br>_

"So, Yusei?" Crow finally broke the silence. "Just how far..."

"Nothing happened Crow," he snapped. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

"Geez! I didn't even get halfway through my question!" He turned to Kalin. "Your turn."

"Yusei," Kalin said calmly. "What exactly happened last night?"

"Nothing," Yusei reaffirmed.

"Look, Yusei," Jack spoke. "We found you two cuddling out on the balcony. Are you saying there were no events leading up to that action?"

"None that you guys need to know about," he said firmly.

"Morning guys!" came a voice from across the dining hall. The gang looked up and saw Bruno headed their way. He sat down next to Yusei and looked around at everyone. "You all look a little surly today."

"Yusei doesn't want to tell us about his night out with a certain young lady," Jack said.

"Yusei!" Bruno exclaimed, "We're your friends! Who is she?"

"Really?" Yusei said sarcastically. "Can you not guess?"

"Yusei, how often do I get out of the smithy?" Bruno asked. "Building Akiza's armor has been keeping me occupied for a good while."

"You're making Akiza armor?" Kalin asked.

"Yeah, and it's taking a lot out of me!" Bruno cried as he laid his head on the table. "Of all the designs I came up with, she had to pick the most complicated one."

"Do you want any help? Crow asked.

"I would love some help, Crow. Thanks."

"Oh, I wasn't talking about me. Yusei, you should help him finish it."

"What?" Yusei's eyes shot open. "Why?"

"It'd be a nice gesture for Akiza, don't you think?" Crow asked. "Plus, it looks like Bruno really needs a break," he said while nodding to Bruno's limp head fallen flat on the table.

"I agree with Crow," said Kalin. "That way, you look good for making her a gift and for helping out Bruno in his time of need."

"And I really do need help!" Bruno whined.

"All right, I'll help you, Bruno," Yusei said.

"You will?" Bruno shot up. "YAY! A break!"

"But this means I need to find somebody else to have sparring sessions with her while I'm in the smithy. Can I count on you guys?"

"Don't worry, Yusei!" Crow exclaimed. "We've got you covered!"

"I'll be sure to give her a few pointers," Jack said.

"I had fun last time," Kalin said. "Though, with these two on the scene, I don't know how much would actually get done."

Crow and Jack both turned their heads to Kalin. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

* * *

><p>Yusei had just exited the dining hall when he heard a voice behind him. "It's been a while, Yusei."<p>

"It certainly has, Blister." Yusei turned around and saw Blister dressed in his standard thieves' armor with a knife strapped to his belt. "I'm guessing you've just finished a mission for Master Goodwin."

"Well I've come back to deliver a report but the mission itself isn't over yet." Blister looked in each direction until he was sure that no one else was around. "How much do you know about Arcadia?"

Yusei thought for a moment. "Not much. I know it's a province in Rosland. I know its leader has no love for dragons. And I do remember that Master Goodwin said that tensions between him and the royal family have been high."

"Well, I thought I'd tell you that's where I've been for the past few months. I've been spying on Sayer. I came back because I uncovered enough evidence to get us an investigation into what he's been up to."

"What's he been doing?" Yusei asked.

"Gathering magical artifacts. I gave my sketches to Goodwin and he assertained their purpose. I don't know what it is, but Goodwin is certainly not happy about it."

"No doubt he's making some kind of magic weapon to kill more dragons with."

"Whether that's the case or not, Goodwin's already chosen who he wants to go on this mission. You're going."

"Great," Yusei remarked. "I can get a chance to find something that would let us arrest him."

"You're not going to lead the team though."

"What?"

"Goodwin wants somebody else to lead."

"Okay, who is it?"

"You're not going to like it."

"Who!"

"The princess."

"What?"

"He wants Akiza to lead."


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Well, Akiza?" Goodwin asked. "Do you understand your objective?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'm glad. Yusei will act as your advisor throughout this mission but you will be the one giving orders. You are in charge."

"Master Goodwin, why me? I don't think I'm ready."

Goodwin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Akiza, I've never met a commander who thought they were ready to lead their first mission, but I have watched your progress closely ever since you came here and you have grown tremendously, child."

"Really?"

"Your parents would be proud, to say the least, my dear."

"Thank you, sir."

"Now this is a small operation so you will need a team of three riders total, including you. Besides Yusei, who will you take with you?"

Akiza thought for a moment. "Misty."

"An interesting choice," Goodwin said. "Any particular reason why?"

"She told me her brother is Sayer's apprentice. If he's as dangerous as you say he is, I think Misty would want to make sure he's safe herself."

"As you wish, Commander. Now go assemble your team and brief them on the mission. You set out tomorrow morning. Use today to rest and prepare for the journey and a fight."

"Yes, master."

* * *

><p>Akiza had no sooner left Goodwin's chambers when she became awash in dread. Why did he pick her? Sure, Yusei was coming along, but he couldn't tell her exactly what to do all of the time. The fact that Goodwin had confidence in her didn't really raise her spirits any. He said he'd been watching her but he usually kept holed up in his office, so she wasn't sure how much truth there were to his words.<p>

"Oi! Princess!" a voice came from down the hall. Akiza turned to see Jack leaning against a pillar as if he had been waiting for her.

She walked up to him. "Hi, Jack."

"I heard from Yusei and Blister that Goodwin's put you in charge of tomorrow's mission. How do you feel about that?"

"Not good. I don't think I can do it."

"Hmph. Well, Goodwin won't change his mind. I know that from experience."

"What do I do then?"

"You lead the mission, of course!"

"But I'm not ready!"

Jack sighed. "Look, you're just going to arrest one man."

"A very dangerous diviner and a governor in my own country!"

"Hm...would it make you feel better to have the great Jack Atlas on your team?"

"Sorry, Jack, but my team's already selected."

"Hmph," Jack grunted. "Your loss, then." He began to walk off, stopped, and turned back around. He pulled the amulet he was wearing from around his neck and held it out to Akiza. "Here," he said. Akiza's eyes widened when she saw it. It was pure gold molded into a rhombus with a giant ruby in the center. "It's my amulet of power, a present from my parents."

"Jack," Akiza said. "I can't accept this."

"That's why I'm only _lending_ it to you," he said. "You had better bring it back."

"Jack, thank you, but why?" she asked.

"I don't want you to die."

"What?"

"You're part of our family now and I protect my family with everything I have. So if I can't be nearby to save you, I can at least make sure you have some support from Prince Jack Atlas."

"Thank you, Jack," Akiza said as she hugged him.

"Now hang on!" Jack cried, "When did I say hugging was okay?"

"Not listening to you anymore," she laughed. She finally let go of him.

"You know," Jack said. "Yusei's become happier than he's ever been since your arrival."

"Really? Did he say that?"

"You know Yusei's a man of few words. He doesn't need to say it. Any idiot can read it in his face."

"I guess I should go talk to him about the mission," Akiza said. "Thanks, Jack. I feel much better."

"I should hope so."

Akiza toyed with the amulet of power. "You're sure you'll be all right without this?"

"Jack Atlas has plenty of power to spare. Go destroy that diviner!"

* * *

><p>Leo and Luna ran down the halls of the tower as fast as they could. They turned a corner so quickly that they didn't realize that Bruno was coming around the same corner and crashed right into him. "Owww..." Bruno groaned as he lay sprawled out on the floor.<p>

"Sorry, Bruno," Luna said.

"Where are you two going in such a hurry?" Bruno asked.

"We need to find Akiza!" Leo said.

"Why? What's the matter?"

"Well, nothing. We just need to find her."

"Well, when you do, can you send her my way? Her new armor's finished and I need to give it to her."

"Wow," Leo said, "It's finished already?"

"Well, Yusei's been helping me in the smithy the last couple of days so it's gone quicker than normal."

"Bruno!" Leo piped up. "What kind of enchantments did you use?"

"Leo, you know I don't have much in the way of magic."

"Can I enchant it? I'm really good at augmenting arms and armor!"

"I don't know about the armor, but after you find Akiza, come see me in the smithy. I've got something that's right up your alley."

"Yes!" Leo shouted. "Does this mean I'm your apprentice now?"

"We'll see how well you do. Remember, you have rider duties to take care of too."

"Yeah, I know," Leo said with disappointment in his voice.

"Leo, come on!" Luna yanked his arm. "We still need to find Akiza! Bye, Bruno!" she yelled as she and her brother ran back down the hall.

"Kids," Bruno said smiling to himself.

* * *

><p>Akiza looked at her sword. It had taken quite a few beatings in her various training sessions. It was covered in scratches and dents. It was so beaten up that she wasn't sure if it could survive this mission, but she didn't have much of a choice. Even if she did ask Bruno for a new one, there was no way he could forge it in time for tomorrow. She thought about just grabbing a different one, but then she would feel awkward out on the battlefield. No, she needed a new sword, but one just like her old one.<p>

"Akiza!" she heard her name being called. She looked up and saw Leo and Luna running to her.

"Hey, you two," she smiled. "What's your hurry?"

"We needed to find you," Leo said.

"Why?"

"We went to the Sanctuary earlier and Rose asked us if we could teach you some magic," Luna said.

_Rose is always looking out for me_, Akiza thought. "All right," she said. "Let's do it."

"Great!" Leo shouted.

"Now we don't have much time," Luna said. "so I'll teach you one spell and Leo will teach you another. Oh, and we'll need to ride our dragons for this to work."

* * *

><p>High above the tower, Akiza sat on Rose's back, Leo on Samuel's, and Luna on Lila's. "Ready Akiza?" Leo yelled.<p>

"I guess," she said back. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Rose?"

_The twins know what they're doing, Akiza. Don't worry._

"Okay, Akiza!" Leo said. "I'm going to teach you a spell called 'Shockfang'. It's one of my favorites! You coat your sword in magic so that when you swing it, a shockwave comes out!"

"Wow," Akiza said. "That sounds useful."

"So the incantation is just one word: _Deimoglad_."

"Deimoglad," Akiza repeated.

"Now hold the sword up high and say it with feeling!" Leo said._  
><em>

Akiza pointed her sword toward the clouds and said firmly "Deimoglad!" Her mark began to glow and she could feel its power coursing through her arm and into the sword, which began to glow white.

_All right! You did it, Akiza!_ Rose congratulated her.

"Now swing the sword," Leo said. Akiza did so and a wave of bright light shot out of the sword and split a nearby cloud in two.

"Yay!" the twins yelled.

"Did I do that?" Akiza asked.

"Yup!" they replied.

"Wow."

"Okay, just remember that incantation and you'll be fine," Leo said. "You're up, Luna."

"Okay," Luna said. "Akiza, Leo taught you an offensive spell, I'm going to teach you a defensive spell. It's called 'Lightsphere'. The incantation is 'Leraka'. If any kind of missile, magic or otherwise, comes at you, you can use this spell to try and deflect it. You have to spend more energy depending on how powerful it is."

"I'm going to fire a weak fire ball at you," Leo said. "You try to deflect it." Leo's gloved hand glowed red as he conjured a sphere of flames in his hand, which he then lobbed right at Akiza and Rose.

Akiza pointed her sword at the fireball and shouted "Leraka!" at which point a yellow shield of light projected from her sword and the fireball dissipated on contact. "Yes!" she shouted.

"You did it!" the twins shouted.

"Wait a minute, Leo," Akiza said. "How did you cast the fireball spell without saying an incantation?"

"When you get really good at casting," Leo said, "you can start to do it by saying the incantation with your mind. That's what I do. Samuel can still hear me, though."

_It's true_, Samuel said,_ and he can be REALLY loud._

"Hey!" Leo shouted at his partner. "Enough of that!"

_See what I mean?_

Everyone got a good laugh out of that.

* * *

><p>Akiza finished her session with the twins and dropped Rose back off at the Sanctuary. "Okay," she thought, "now I really need to find Yusei. Where is he?" She stopped and remembered something he told her. <em>My mark tingles when another rider is nearby.<em> "Maybe I can try to sense him." She put all her concentration on her mark and searched for him. She began to feel something. She wasn't sure who it was. She decided to head for it anyway. As she got closer to whoever it was, the tingle got more intense. She turned the corner of the hallway and found Misty walking towards her. She wasn't Yusei, but Akiza needed to talk to her too. "Misty!"

"Hi, Akiza," she said. "You look pretty serious. Anything wrong?"

"No, but I need to tell you that I selected you to come on tomorrow's mission."

"Me? Why? And what's the mission?"

"We're going to arrest Sayer, governor of Arcadia," she said.

"You mean my brother's master?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Then I'm glad you picked me. I haven't heard anything from him in a long while. Do you know if he's all right?"

"Master Goodwin said that one Tobias Tredwell is, as of yet, still okay, according to Blister's report."

"That's good. Thank you, Akiza. I will come and make sure he's safe."

"Great. Now I need to find Yusei. Do you know where he is?"

"Last I checked, he hadn't left the smithy in two days," Misty said. "I'd try going there. If he's not there, Bruno probably knows where he is."

"What would Yusei be doing in the smithy?"

"I'm not sure. Why don't you go find out?"

"I will. Thanks, Misty!"

* * *

><p>Akiza began walking down the spiral staircase from the riders' chambers when she realized how long of a climb it was going to be all the way down to the smithy. <em>Need a ride, red?<em> Akiza heard in her mind. She turned and saw Zephyr looming right next to her.

"Hi, Zephyr," she said. "Would you mind dropping me off at the smithy?"

_Not at all, little red princess,_ Zephyr said. _Hop on. Crow's down there as well.  
><em>

"How do you know?" Akiza asked as she climbed on Zephyr's back.

_Because of our bond,_ Zephyr said._ We can sense each other. Can't you do that?_

"No, we can't."

_Oh, I'm sorry. Well, don't worry about it. It'll come in time. Just be patient._

"You sound like Yusei," Akiza said.

_Speaking of whom, Crow told me some very interesting things about you two._

"Just fly, you big black featherbag."

Zephyr laughed, _Looks like Yusei has his work cut out for him._

"Shut up."

When they landed, Akiza hopped off of Zephyr's back, thanked him and walked inside the smithy. Zephyr poked his head through the window above. Bruno looked up as she entered. "Oh Akiza, you're here," he said. "Good."

"Were you expecting me?" she asked.

"Leo!" Bruno called. "Did you forget to tell Akiza to come see me?"

"Yes," came Leo's voice from somewhere in the back. "Sorry."

Bruno sighed. "Well, at least you're here," he said.

"What do you need me for?"

"Your armor's finished," Bruno said. He then turned around. "Bring it out, guys!" Crow and Yusei stepped out from the back carrying a suit of red scale armor that perfectly matched Rose's wings. "What do you think?"

"I love it!" Akiza said happily.

"Why don't you go try it on?" Crow said.

"Just to make sure it fits," Yusei added.

"Okay!" Akiza said as she ran to back room to change. Yusei noticed how happy she looked. She looked like a little kid who had just opened their birthday present. He smiled knowing that she was happy. Crow noticed.

"Whoa, Yusei, is that a smile I see?" he chided.

"Calm down, Crow. I can smile whenever I want."

"Yeah, but you don't," he said. "Don't you think this would be a good time to give her your surprise?"

"You're right," he said. "I'll go grab it." He walked off into the room where Leo was busy with something.

Akiza stepped out in her new armor complete with red plate shoulder pauldrons, red gauntlets, and red plate greaves. "Lookin' good!" Crow said.

"How does it feel?" Bruno asked.

"Perfect!" she replied. "I love it. Thank you so much!" She gave Bruno a giant hug.

Bruno blushed. "Ah...you're welcome."

"Hey!" Crow yelled. "I helped too!"

"You did?" Akiza asked.

_All three of them did_, Zephyr said.

"That's how we got it done so quickly," Crow said.

"Oh, well in that case," Akiza hugged Crow too, "thanks, Crow."

"You're welcome, princess."

"And thank you, Yu...where's Yusei?"

"Fetching his half of your present," Bruno said. "This is what he spent two days straight in here doing."

Akiza suddenly heard Leo's voice go "Aaaaaaannnnnddddddd...DONE!"

"Perfect!" she heard Yusei say from the same room. Both Yusei and Leo emerged from the room. Yusei had his hands behind his back.

"What's behind your back, Yusei?" she asked.

Yusei revealed the item. "Here you go." In his hands was the most beautiful sword Akiza had ever seen. It was like her old and battered one, one continuous curved edge but the blade looked like polished silver rather than steel and the hilt was the same red scale pattern as her armor. Akiza was is total awe.

"It's beautiful," she said. "You made it for me?"

"Of course," he said.

"Hey!" Leo piped up. "I did all the enchantments!"

"Enchantments?" Akiza asked.

"Yeah," Leo said, "so it won't go dull or get dents in it."

"It won't? Thank you so much, Leo!" She bent down and gave him a big hug. She then stood back up and faced Yusei. "And you!"

"Me?" Yusei said. Akiza punched him in the arm. "Ow!" Yusei shouted.

"This is why I haven't seen you in two whole days!"

"Lovers' tiff," Crow whispered to Bruno who nodded in agreement.

"You went through all this trouble? Not only did you help make my armor but you made a sword for me too?" She placed the sword down and wrapped his neck in her arms. Yusei looked at his friends. Bruno and Leo shrugged. Crow gave him a wink. Yusei returned her hug.

"So do you want to go try out the sword?" Yusei asked.

"Yes!" she said letting go of him and picking the weapon back up. "Let's head to the arena!"

_Um_, Zephyr began, _I'm not sure I can carry all of you..._

* * *

><p>The next day came sooner than Akiza expected. She stood with Rose in the Sanctuary dressed in her new armor with her new silver sword at her belt, waiting for her comrades to show up. Stardust was standing with her, as was Eve, both waiting for their respective riders.<p>

Yusei came up the stairs first with his blue breastplate with orange pauldrons and a red etching on it over his normal leather riding shirt and slacks. His sword hung from his belt and he had a bow and a quiver of arrows on his back. When Misty arrived, she was wearing a riding outfit similar to Yusei's, but with a black and green cape covering most of her body.

"Are we all ready?" Akiza asked.

"Yes, Commander," both Yusei and Misty said.

"Yusei, you're supposed to advise me on what I'm doing right and wrong."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Then let's mount up and fly for Arcadia," she declared. The three riders mounted their dragons and flew out of the Sanctuary window and headed in the direction of Rosland. They had not yet flown twenty yards when they were waylaid by another rider, this one clad all in black.

"Kalin and Seeker!" Akiza said. "What are you doing here?"

"We're coming with you."

"You can't. Master Goodwin said..."

"What the Dragonmaster doesn't know won't hurt him," Kalin interrupted. "I just want to make sure that Misty doesn't get hurt."

"Kalin," Misty said.

"I've realized that I care too much about her to let her die in battle. I want to protect her. Will you please let me, Akiza?"

Akiza thought that while Yusei would mainly be looking out for her, Misty wouldn't have anyone to keep her safe. "All right," she said. "You can come."

Kalin beamed. "Thank you, Akiza."

"Akiza," Yusei said, "disobeying the Dragonmaster is not a good idea."

"It'll be fine," she said. "As long as we complete the mission, what does it matter how many riders we take?"

"You're the commander," he replied. "It's your call."

"Kalin stays. Misty needs somebody to defend her too."

"Too?"

"That's why you're here isn't it? That's why you volunteered. To protect me."

Yusei smiled. "You know me all too well."

_Come on! We don't have all day!_ Stardust yelled.

_Agreed!_ Rose said. _Less talking! More flying!_

_Personally, I can't wait to sink my teeth into that dragon-murdering monster!_ Seeker growled.

* * *

><p>Sayer heard movement as he woke up. It was still dark in his room with all of the shutters closed. "You're here, aren't you?" He thought the man who gave him the artifacts might be back, but instead he found a note pinned to his door with a dagger:<p>

S-

The riders are on their way.

You had better make your move.

Or we will make ours.

And you will not like it.

-P

Sayer laughed. "So the Order of the Crimson Dragon is coming to challenge me," he said as he walked to his window and looked to the morning sky. "Wait until they see what I have in store for them! Before tonight is over, Rosland will be mine and no dragon will ever fly in this land again!"


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Toby rushed to the great hall of Sayer's manor where he had just been summoned. He expected Sayer to send him on some errand. Instead, he found one of Sayer's guards, who he did not know by name. "Did you summon me?" he asked.

"Yes," the guard said. "Sayer has left orders for you in his absence."

"Where has he gone?" Toby asked.

"He had an audience scheduled with the King and Queen today at the capitol."

"So what are his orders?"

"Well, he just said 'Have Toby wear this.' The guard handed him a necklace with a sickly green gemstone on a gold chain. Toby noticed that the guard was wearing one as well. He looked at the other guards nearby and noticed that they had them too.

"What's it for?"

"Hell if I know. And I don't know if he was expecting somebody to show up today or what, but you're pretty much in charge of the manor house today."

"Wow," Toby said stunned.

"So, any orders?" the guard asked.

"Just one," Toby said. "If I'm going to be in charge today, I'm going to need a master key."

* * *

><p>Jack paced up and down the library, perusing each shelf until he found what he was looking for. "Hm, maybe this will give me some insight," he said to himself.<p>

"Jack?" came a voice from down the aisle. "What are you doing in here?"

"Oh hello, Mina. I'm trying to find out what Goodwin is so worried about. He sent Yusei, Akiza and Misty out on an impromptu mission all because of this." Jack then pulled out Blister's sketch of the green orb.

"Oh...that," Mina whispered.

"You know something about it, don't you?" Jack asked.

"Master Goodwin had me research it. I'm actually just as worried as he is."

"What is it?"

"Jack, this thing is dangerous, and this diviner, Sayer, somehow got a hold of it. Are you sure you want to know more?"

"Of course I do!" Jack snapped. "If my friends are in danger, then I want to know!"

"All right," Mina conceded. "Let me find you the book I read about it in. I...I don't want to say any of it out loud."

Jack could tell that Mina's was shaking. What was this thing that inspired so much fear? Mina climbed a ladder and fetched a giant tome from a high shelf before handing it off to Jack. "The page should have a red bookmark in it," she said.

Jack opened the book to the page with the red bookmark and saw the picture he had been looking for. He glanced to the top of the page and read the artifact's name: _The Mastery Orb._

"The Mastery Orb," Jack read aloud. "The orb has existed for over a millennium. It was created by sorcerers serving an ancient king who wished to become the master of all. The sorcerers crafted the orb to amplify the king's strength, speed, and to grant him deadly magical abilities." Jack stopped. "That's insane!"

"Keep reading," Mina said.

"The wisest of the sorcerers told the king that a brilliant mind would be able to control the power contained within the orb. The king, believing that no man was more brilliant than he, accepted the orb and invoked its power. Within minutes, the king had transformed into an unspeakable monster. He had all the power he desired, but at the cost of his own humanity. In his anger, the king rampaged across the continent killing whomever he pleased until the wise sorcerer petitioned the Crimson Dragon for the power to stop the madman. His spells destroyed the creature and himself, and the continent rebuilt slowly." Jack went silent.

"Well?" Mina prompted.

"If Sayer has that same orb," Jack began, "then they're in real trouble!" Jack ran toward the window.

"Jack!" Mina yelled. "Where are you going?"

"Where d'you think? I'm off to fly to Arcadia!"

"Wait, Jack!" Mina cried, but it was too late. Jack jumped out the window and whistled. All Mina could see was Archie flying off into the sunrise with Jack on his back. "Please be careful," she silently pleaded.

* * *

><p>"Is that it?" Kalin asked from atop Seeker. The riders had made it to the Arcadia province and gazed down upon Sayer's manor. Yusei felt sick. It looked far too lavish from the outside. All of the other homes in the area looked derelict compared to Sayer's.<p>

"That's it," Akiza confirmed.

_I can't wait to taste his blood! _Seeker growled.

_What makes you think I'll let you have any?_ Rose said.

_Come off it, you two!_ Eve scolded. _Remember that Toby's in there too so don't go too wild._

"And we actually need to approach first with out any dragons," Akiza said.

_What?_ Seeker barked.

"If the people in this province see any dragons, they will attack. I'd like to avoid that if I can," Akiza said.

"If we encounter any trouble when we enter the manor, we'll summon you with our marks," Yusei said. "It'll be fine."

"Are we ready?" Akiza asked. Everyone nodded. "Good. Dragons, stay hidden at the top of the valley. Riders, let's go pay Sayer a visit.

The riders each slid down the face of the valley and entered the town that surrounded Sayer's manor. The town was fairly busy. People were shopping and talking. Nobody seemed to take any real notice of the four heavily armed individuals. A few nervous glances were exchanged but nothing particularly sinister happened.

Suddenly, two guards on patrol turned the corner and saw the party of four. Without any hesitation, they drew their weapons and charged. Yusei was the first to act. He threw a knife at the first guard, hitting him in the chest, piercing his leather armor. Akiza drew her sword and rushed to the second man, cutting him across the chest. Both men fell to the ground dead. A woman screamed and everyone ran from the town square and into their homes.

Yusei bent down to the bodies and looked at the necklaces they were wearing. They were completely identical and had that sickly green color of gem on a gold chain. He couldn't think about it for long as more guards began to file into the plaza. "Your orders, Akiza?"

"Get to the manor no matter what."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, inside the manor house, Toby approached Sayer's office. He was about to use his newly acquired master key to get inside, but stopped short when he heard the guards' call to arms. He rushed to the great hall to see what the matter was.<p>

"Master Toby!" a guard called.

"What's going on?" Toby demanded.

"The plaza guards spotted monsters approaching the gates to the manor!"

"Monsters? What are they?"

"We don't know! We've never seen them before! But they have weapons and they look dangerous!"

"This can't be good," Toby said to himself.

"Without Sayer around, we need your powers to help defend the house!" the guard continued.

Another guard's voice came. "The plaza guards have been cut down!"

"That means they're coming here next!" the guard cried.

"Calm down!" Toby yelled. Toby then realized that he just yelled at a guard. Where did that come from? "Get all guards inside to the great hall. I'll take point and use my powers on the monsters, when they're stunned, go in and finish them off. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" the guard said before running off.

Toby thought for a moment. "This is really weird. I feel much more powerful, more assertive than I usually do. I wonder why?"

"The monsters have made it to the grounds!" he heard a guard yell. Toby looked out a window toward the grounds and saw them. They moved so quickly, cutting down guards left and right. They were covered in shrouds and Toby could make out no features at all.

His fear suddenly became anger and he felt his power rise up within him. He ran to the great hall, where the guards had assembled just as he had ordered. He knew the monsters were right outside. This was his chance, his chance to prove to himself, and Sayer, that he could hold his own in battle. He summoned forth all the power he could muster and gazed menacingly at the front door. "Open it," he ordered. The guards at the front, somewhat scared by Toby's anger, yanked the front doors open, and Toby let his rage fly.

The fog of war was thick. Each of the riders were dealing with their own set of guards. Yusei was doing his best to keep Akiza safe, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it up. Sayer paid well for his guards and the quality of their weapons displayed that fact. He glanced to his right, where Kalin was felling more and more men each second, while Misty was conjuring acid out of thin air to launch at their opponents.

Suddenly, in the midst of the chaos, Yusei stopped and listened. He heard the short, yet obvious, creak of hinges. He could see that the doors of the manor swung open with great speed, and could feel an incredible force coming his way very quickly. He had no idea what it was, but he knew it couldn't be good.

His mind immediately raced to find Akiza. As soon as he spotted her in less than a second, he saw that she noticed it too. He then positioned himself in between Akiza and the doorway, ready to intercept whatever was coming and prevent it from hurting her. In the instant before it reached them, Yusei pushed Akiza down onto the ground.

Then it hit.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Yusei opened his eyes. He was still alive. How was that possible? He was sure that the explosion had engulfed him. Suddenly all of the feeling came back to his body and he realized that someone was squeezing him. He breathed in and got a whiff of a familiar scent. He could feel Akiza's arms wrapped tightly around his torso and could see her face pressed into his chest with her eyes tightly shut. He looked around and saw that the entire ground had been scorched except for the small circle of unburnt land that they both stood on.

"What happened?" he asked. Akiza slowly opened her eyes. Yusei let his sword fall to the ground and hugged Akiza back.

"You're alive!" she exclaimed as she hugged him even tighter. "It worked!"

"Yes, I am," Yusei reassured her. "Wait, what worked?"

"The spell that Luna taught me!" she said happily.

"You cast a spell? I didn't hear an incantation."

"Leo taught me that if you say an incantation in your mind, it can work just as well. I knew I didn't have time to say _Leraka_ out loud so I yelled it with my mind and hoped it would be enough. And it was!"

"I know that spell," Yusei said. "But it's only for protecting one person. How did it work for both of us?"

Akiza showed him the ruby amulet hanging around her neck. "My power was amplified thanks to a small present from Jack."

"Jack gave you his amulet of power?" Yusei was beyond shocked.

"Well, he lent it to me," she smiled.

"That sounds a bit more like him," Yusei chuckled, still hugging her. "So you saved my life this time."

"I guess I did. That makes us even."

"That's right. I caught you out of the air when we first met and you flew away from me."

"I guess I didn't realize then how important you were going to become to me."

"Enough for you to endanger yourself for my sake?"

"You're one to talk! You jumped in front of that explosion to save me!"

"I promised your parents that I wouldn't let anything hurt you and I intend to keep that promise."

"That's what I love about you, Yusei. You never break a promise." She laid her head against his chest again.

"Ahem!" came a noise from a little ways away. Yusei and Akiza turned their heads and saw Kalin and Misty standing there staring at them. "I was going to ask if you were okay," Kalin smirked, "but I see no need to now."

"We're okay," Yusei said. "Akiza saved my life.

"Awww," Misty cooed. Everyone looked at her. "Sorry," she said, "you just look so cute!" Yusei and Akiza both blushed and finally let go of each other. Kalin rolled his eyes. "Oh hush, you!" Misty said as she grabbed Kalin and kissed him on the cheek. Kalin turned a bright shade of red.

"Okay, come on! Let's get what we came here for!" Kalin stuttered as he and Misty joined Yusei and Akiza, weapons drawn, ready to enter the house.

Yusei could feel the anger swelling up inside him. "Sayer will pay for trying to hurt her," he thought.

* * *

><p>Just inside, the guards assembled behind Toby again. Toby felt drained from the amount of power he had just expended. After taking a minute and gasping for breath, he found the energy to speak. "One of you," he said to the guards behind him, "go see if that finished them off." The guards all exchanged glances and finally, one stepped forward.<p>

The guard ran up to the gaping hole in the wall, poked his head out, and breathed a sigh of relief. "I think we're clear!" he said.

Toby breathed a sigh of relief as well, until he heard a scream come from the mouth of the guard as one of the dark creatures seemingly materialized out of nowhere and grabbed him by the collar. The creature looked humanoid, except there was no face, and black shrouds surrounded most of the creature's features. It held a long and curved black blade ready to strike the guard down.

Toby's eyes went wide. He readied himself to see the guard be impaled on the monster's blade. Instead, he looked straight into where the monster's eyes would be and saw as the shadow threw the guard back down to the floor. Toby stood in front of his guards as the monster slowly approached him. As the creature got closer, three more just like it appeared through the hole in the wall.

The one in front of Toby made a menacing growl full of garbled and jumbled noises. It sounded like it was trying to talk to him. Just then, one of the other creatures made a shrieking noise and ran past the others toward Toby. He stepped back just quickly enough to escape the creature's grasp. He summoned swirls of fire to his hands and sprayed the fire at the shades. All four creatures jumped back, weapons at the ready. The one who ran at Toby raised its arm in the air and he spotted a blue mark begin to glow.

"That's a teardrop!" Toby exclaimed. "That's Misty's mark!" Just then, a howling gale came through the hole in the wall and another creature with giant wings but still shrouded in darkness flew through the opening. It extinguished the fire with one beat of its wings and used one of its big hands to pin Toby to the ground. He struggled to try and lift the hand, but it was too heavy for him to lift. The creature with the teardrop mark approached and spoke something that Toby couldn't understand and the big monster lifted its hand. Toby stood up and the shade approached him again.

He felt himself being wrapped in arms of shadow and pulled in close to the creature's body. He struggled as hard as he could but couldn't escape and realized that nothing was happening. The guards were all too scared to move, but the creatures weren't doing anything. Toby realized that he wasn't in any pain at all. He was being hugged.

* * *

><p>Sayer and his personal guards entered the royal hall of Castle Rosland. He took a long gaze at the interior of the palace and grinned. "Oh, what a magnificent place," he chuckled to himself.<p>

A servant approached him and said, "Master Sayer, the king and queen will see you now." Sayer walked into the throne room and found the king and queen of Rosland sitting side by side. He smiled to himself before bowing.

"You may stand, Sayer," the king said. He took particular note of Sayer's new entourage, four very tall men covered head to toe in dark metal armor armed with large swords. They carried a large ornate box between the four of them.

"Thank you for granting me this audience, your Majesty," Sayer said.

"Yes, indeed. Now what did you wish to discuss?"

"I wish to set any doubts you may have about about my loyalty to the throne of Rosland to rest today."

"Oh," the king said. "How...nice of you."

"Please allow me to show you just how loyal I am," Sayer grinned. He snapped his fingers and the armored men placed the box on the steps in front of the king and queen.

"You!" Sayer motioned to the servant stood next to the monarchs. "Come open my gift for the king and queen." The servant did not even wait for a nod from the king before he rushed to the chest and undid the latch.

* * *

><p>Misty hugged her little brother with her teardrop mark glowing. "Toby, I'm so glad you're safe," she said with tears in her eyes. Eve stood over them.<p>

_Misty, why can't I talk to him? It's like his mind has been blocked off._

"Sayer must have done it," she said. She let go of Toby and he took a step back and looked at her.

"What are you?" he asked, "And why do you have my sister's mark?"

"He doesn't recognize me. Why not?" Misty asked her fellow riders.

"Sayer must have brainwashed him," Kalin said. "I'm not surprised in the least."

"But why would he do that?" Misty asked, her eyes filling with tears.

Yusei looked at all the guards cowering at the back of the room. He noticed that they all wore the same uniform: brown leather armor with large swords. They also seemed to be wearing emerald colored amulets. He looked back to Toby. He was wearing the same amulet as well. "I think these might have something to do with it," he said.

"What are they?" Akiza asked.

"I don't know but everyone is wearing them," Yusei said. "Maybe they're something Sayer crafted to alter their perceptions. We should try getting rid of them."

As Misty reached out to try and remove the amulet from Toby's neck, the green gem began to glow and the chain on the necklace suddenly tightened and began to choke the boy. "Ah!" Misty screamed. "It's killing him!"

Yusei glanced at the other soldiers and saw that the same was happening to them as well. "We have to get these amulets off them!"

"Toby!" Misty kept screaming. "Akiza! Help me! This thing won't come apart!"

"Try using your dagger to cut it!"

"I am! Come on you stupid...Ouch!" Misty recoiled from Toby's neck. Her hands were burnt. Toby was gasping for breath but was trying to use his powers to heat up the necklace to weaken it at the same time. "Toby!" Misty ran back to him and yanked as hard as she could on the chain. It finally snapped.

Toby coughed and gagged trying to get his breath back. His vision began to spin. The shrouds that surrounded the creatures in front of him disappeared and left was the image of his big sister. Misty grabbed him and hugged him again. "Toby! You're all right!"

"Not now, Misty!" he shouted. "I have to help them!" Toby jumped up and ran to the choking soldiers. "Stand back!" he yelled to Yusei and Kalin, who were doing their best to get the necklaces off. Toby's gloved hands glowed red and the gold chains choking the soldiers began to weaken. "Go pull them off now!" Toby commanded. Yusei and Kalin did as they were told. One by one, the soldiers started gasping for breath.

This time, when Misty went to hug her brother, he did not resist. "Toby! I'm so glad you're safe!" she said with tears in her eyes.

"I'm okay, Misty," he said. "Just a burn on my neck from a heated chain. That was rather painful."

_Good to see you in your right mind again, Toby._

Thank you, Eve. It's good to see you again.

"Toby, how about I introduce you to my friends? This is Yusei, Kalin, and Akiza."

"Nice to meet you all. I assume you're here about my master, Sayer?"

"Yes, that's right," Yusei said. "Where is he?"

"He left before I got up this morning. I'm pretty sure he had an audience with the royal family. He wanted me to look after the place. I can see now that he doesn't care about anything here at all. I don't know what he's up to but I will help you track him down."

"Did you say he went to see the royal family?" Akiza asked.

"Yes, but that's all I know."

"This means he must be...oh no! Mom and Dad!" Akiza shrieked. "We have to go! Now!"

* * *

><p>The servant was launched across the room and hit the wall between the two thrones. "Sayer!" the king shouted. He was about to shout again but found his throat being grabbed by one of the armored knights. The knights had lifted the king and his wife off the floor by their throats.<p>

"Sorry, your Majesty," Sayer coldly spoke, "but your reign is over! This land deserves a real king who does not tolerate monsters to roam free!"

"What...are you...talking...about?" The king said gasping for breath.

The hand around the king's throat loosened and he fell to the floor coughing. "My father was taken from me when I was five," Sayer shouted, "by a great dragon that attacked my village many years ago. My mother became sick with grief and died one month later. I lost everything I ever had because of dragons, and now I hear that the king has dispatched his only daughter, the heiress to the throne of Rosland, to join the Order of the Crimson Dragon! You plan to just give my country to the dragons!"

"Give the country to...Sayer, you have no idea what you are saying! I'm sorry about your past but killing people isn't going to help you at all!"

"I don't plan to kill people, my king. I plan to kill every dragon on the face of the land!"

"Sayer! What you are doing is monstrous!"

"What I am doing is for the good of mankind. When I'm through, this country will have a proper king and I will destroy every dragon in existence! This is my revenge!"

"And just how do you plan on doing that?"

"You don't warrant a villains' exposition from me," Sayer sneered. He reached down and plucked the king's crown from his head and placed it on his own. "You are nothing! You and your lovely wife will be spending some time in the dungeon of your own castle! Have a nice time."

"You are mad, Sayer!"

"You are in no position to hurl insults, mongrel! I could kill you both with my powers right now, but instead, I've decided to keep you alive for now. Threatening your lives may be fun if your daughter and her friends try to come to your rescue!" Sayer laughed. The armored knights hauled the monarchs downstairs leaving Sayer in the great hall by himself. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the green orb given to him by his mysterious benefactor. "Ha! I may not even need this thing. My power has already earned me a throne...but I suppose a guarantee to kill all dragons couldn't hurt," he said as he placed the orb back in his pocket. Sayer opened a window and looked up at the morning sky. "So Crimson Dragon," he laughed. "Let's see if your chosen warriors are enough to challenge the most powerful sorcerer in history!"


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Smoke filled the air and blackened the clouds above Arcadia. The sun was beginning to set and the smog made the sun's orange glow look sickly and wrong. Jack and Archie circled in on the smoldering remains of the Arcadia governor's manor. "What the hell happened down there?"

_It looks like some kind of explosion happened,_ Archie said. _We should probably go have a look._

The duo landed right at the foot of the building and Jack dismounted and drew his sword. "Yusei!" he called. A lonely guard approached the gaping hole in the house and looked right at Jack.

"Your rider friends left some time ago," the guard said.

"Impossible," Jack said. "I would have passed them on their way back to the tower. Where could those three have gone?"

"Three? There were four of them."

"Four? There should have been two women and a man in blue. Who was the fourth?"

"A man with white hair and a black outfit who carried two swords."

"Kalin," Jack said, "so you went along too. You fool. You disobeyed the Dragonmaster. Where did they go?"

"Don't know, sir but Master Toby took off with them. Nobody left to be in charge now."

Jack slapped the man in the back of the head. "No one left in charge? Perfect, then. You can all follow me!"

"Why should I listen to you? My master's gone. He tried to kill all of us with these accursed amulets!" He held out one of the broken chains with a green gem. Jack took it and stuck it in his pocket. Then he grabbed the soldier by his collar and pulled his face within an inch of his.

"Listen up, you!" he hissed. "I don't care if you've lost all hope for your life. My friends are out there and hunting down your master! Why don't you try to remember where they went? If you'd like, I can have my friend here try to jog your memory!" Archie's big head leaned in close and growled at the man.

"I think I remember Master Toby say something about the capitol. Maybe you'll find them there."

"You think you remember?" Jack pressed. Archie let a small arc of fire escape his jaws.

"No! I remember! They definitely went to the capitol! Sayer went there earlier today!" Jack let go of the man and walked back toward his dragon.

"You're a man who knows how not to get roasted!" he said as he jumped back onto Archie. "Now gather your men! You're going to help me with a little project."

"I never should have signed up for this job," the guard muttered to himself.

* * *

><p>The four dragons streamed across the sky carrying their riders. Toby rode with Misty and Eve. "Akiza!" Misty yelled. "Why are we in such a hurry?"<p>

"Sayer knew we were coming for him!" Akiza replied. "He's making his move to usurp the throne!"

"Usurp the throne?" Yusei said. "How do you know that's what he's planning?"

"He's expressed his dislike of my family's rule for years. If he's going to the capitol, I can only assume the worst!"

_Then let's get there faster!_ Stardust growled.

The dragons all sped up toward the capitol. Stardust was fastest and stayed out in front, with Rose and Eve behind him and Seeker acting as vanguard. They flew until the cityscape was visible on the horizon. Akiza breathed a sigh of relief until she saw what had happened. They were too late.

"The city!" Akiza gasped. "It's burning! No!" She looked down and saw what looked like soldiers marching down on the ground, but upon further inspection, she realized they were giant armored figures with long halberds. "Sayer's already conquered the city!"

_That monster!_ Rose roared. _I'll kill him!_

"Come on, Rose! We have to find Mom and Dad!" Akiza and Rose sped off toward the keep.

"Akiza!" Yusei yelled. It was no use, however. She and Rose dove toward the castle.

"Yusei! We have to take care of these things down there!" Kalin yelled as he drew his twin swords. The riders could see people down below fleeing in terror from the big armored men. Yusei really didn't want Akiza running into the castle alone but he didn't really have a choice. He needed to help take out these walking suits of armor before they killed everyone in the city. Seeker dove at one of the automatons and Kalin slashed his blade across its arm. It came clean off. "Yes!" Kalin cried as he and Seeker came back up from the attack. The automaton picked its arm back up and reattached it as if nothing had happened. "Oh great!" he said. "What do we do now?"

Yusei pulled out his bow and knocked an arrow. He felt his mark glow. "Crimson Dragon, lend me your power to stop these creatures." Stardust circled around in the air and Yusei caught a glimpse of a spot on the armor. It was a green gem like the one Toby had been wearing, but it was reflecting red light. Yusei knew what that meant. The Crimson Dragon was showing him where to fire. He lined up his shot and released the string. Yusei's arrow flew downward and hit dead center in the gem on the automaton's neck. The life that animated the armor drained away and the suit fell to pieces.

"They have a weakness!" Yusei yelled. "Cut the green gem at their neck!"

Kalin and Misty both went to work. "Misty!" Toby said to his big sister, "I can help too! I've got enough power to take a couple of these things out!"

"No, Toby! I'm not putting you in harm's way!"

"Misty, please. I'm not doing any good up here and I want to help. I've got throwing knives that work with my powers!"

"Where did you get those?"

"Blister gave them to me just in case," Toby said.

"Fine," Misty conceded, "but only throw when I tell you to, okay?"

"Got it. Thank you, Misty."

* * *

><p>Akiza landed in the courtyard of her castle, the same place where she had first met Yusei. Now the sky had been blackened, and all she could think about was stopping Sayer and rescuing her parents. Sayer, however, was not so foolish as to leave the grounds unguarded. Six automatons ran her way armed to kill her. "Rose, you know what to do."<p>

_That I do,_ Rose replied. She took a mighty breath and spit purple fire at each of Sayer's minions. They all fell to the ground, burnt to a crisp. _Let's go find him,_ Rose then said.

Akiza drew her sword. Never in her whole life did she think she would be fearful to enter her own home, but here she was, armed and ready to take on the villain who had stolen her home from her. She then turned her eyes to the starry sky. She saw the bright red one shine brighter than all the others, even through the smog from the burning city. "Crimson Dragon?" she felt her mark warm and realized that it was glowing. "You give Yusei and Stardust strength. Now I ask you to give us strength to save my home and my family."

Akiza heard a voice in the back of her mind. _My child, you need not strength nor power from me. You have those gifts within yourself and have since you were born. The bond you share with your dragon partner is more powerful than any gift I could grant. Go forth and achieve your desire, my child. I am always with you._

"Thank you, Crimson Dragon," she said. "Rose, we need to open a direct path to Sayer. This means we'll have to burn our way through the keep to get to him. You'll have to use your dragon breath to blast through the walls to get to the throne room. That's where he'll be."

_Are you sure, Akiza? Burning through our own home?_

"We have to," she said. "It's the only way for both of us to reach him."

_I will not leave you alone in this. I will be with you every step of the way._

"Thank you, Rose," Akiza readied her sword to strike at Sayer when the chance came along. That man had caused way too much trouble. "Let's go!" Rose let a stream of purple fire escape her maw and watched as the keep doors flew off their hinges, leaving a space wide enough for Rose to fly through. Rose kicked off the ground and let loose a constant stream of fire right ahead of her to keep opening up the path.

Sayer heard the castle walls shake. "Ah, the riders have arrived." The wall directly in front of him burst open and Rose flew through. She saw Sayer and went directly for him. He was ready however, and as her fiery breath approached him, he waved his hand and reflected it right back at her. The shock knocked Akiza off Rose's back, but she recovered quickly and charged Sayer with her sword. Sayer lifted his other hand and suddenly, Akiza could no longer move.

"Sayer!" she yelled. "Where's my family?"

"Princess Akiza, I would welcome you back to your home, but I'm afraid it is no longer yours."

"You-"

"Just look at what I have done here," Sayer laughed. "In no more than a few seconds, both you and your dragon have been subdued by my incredible power. There is no hope for you." He lifted his hand and Akiza could feel her limbs go limp and her body being lifted into the air.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, feeling so helpless.

"For revenge on the dragons, mostly. They are nothing more than titans of destruction. I simply wish to make the land safe by ending their existence. And thanks to my lovely new artifacts, I can do just that."

"You mean the Mastery Orb," Akiza said.

"So you know about it, do you?" Sayer reached into his pocket and pulled out the emerald orb. "They say only a brilliant mind can control its awesome power, otherwise, its user will become a true monster."

"Wait, you haven't used it yet?" Akiza asked shocked.

"My dear princess, the orb is dangerous, and I'm not going to use it on myself. You see, part of being a diviner is knowing absolutely everything you can. I know that the orb holds many more secrets. It doesn't just act as an amplifier for human power, it can also amplify magic a hundred-fold! While I was waiting for you to arrive, I prepared a ritual to devour the souls of dragons. The Mastery Orb will amplify this magic until it spreads across the world, killing all dragons forever! All I need to complete this ritual is the soul of a living dragon," Sayer's eyes turned to Rose unconscious on the floor, "and you have brought me one on a platter!"

"NO!" Akiza yelled. "You can't!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweet princess, but your best friend will have to die."

"NO!" Akiza shut her eyes as tight as she could.

"Oh, it won't be so bad. After I'm king, you could become my queen. I promise you we would have a good life togeth..." He stopped. Akiza opened her eyes and looked right at him.

Sayer had an arrow in his chest.

"Wha..." he gasped. Akiza felt his psychic grip on her loosen and she fell to the ground. Sayer staggered back and fell back onto the throne.

Akiza looked back to the big hole in the wall and saw Yusei holding his bow with the string slackened after just firing it. "Yusei!" she cried. She got up and ran to him. Yusei threw his bow down on the floor and embraced her when she reached him. "Thank you," she said with tears in her eyes.

"When I saw you and Rose break in to the keep, I followed you. When I saw Sayer holding you up, I shot him while he was distracted," Yusei said.

"Rose!" Akiza yelled. She let go of Yusei and ran toward her dragon. Rose still lay on the floor. "Please be okay," she pleaded.

"Here, let me," Yusei said, kneeling down beside her. He reached his hand under Rose's neck. "I can feel her breathing, Akiza. She'll be fine."

"Oh, thank goodness," she sighed.

"Argh!" came a cry from a few meters away. Yusei and Akiza whirled their heads around as Sayer stood back up. "You think you've beaten me? Hardly."

"Give up now, Sayer," Yusei yelled. "You're finished!"

"I may not be able to complete my ritual," he laughed, "but I still have this." He lifted the Mastery Orb up above his head. "If I can't complete the ritual, then I'll become the most powerful being in the world and then kill every dragon in existence myself! Orb, grant me the power to crush my enemies!" The orb glowed and Sayer glowed with it. "Ah, the power. I can feel it coursing trough my veins! I am the bane of dragons! RAAAAAAHHHH!"

"What's happening to him?" Akiza asked.

"I have absolutely no idea," Yusei replied.

Sayer's body twisted and warped while floating in the air. Yusei could see his skeleton start to morph and grow. He sprouted wings and his legs fused together into a bony tail. His hands grew giant claws and his head sprouted two bony protrusions off the side of his head. Sayer had grown so much that he was bigger than most dragons, and Yusei recognized what he was seeing. "That's the monster from my nightmare!" he exclaimed. His mark began to glow.

_RAAAAAHHHH! I HAVE BECOME MORE POWERFUL THAN ANYTHING! I AM INVINCIBLE! DRAGONKIND WILL PERISH BEFORE MY MIGHT AND I WILL CREATE A NEW KINGDOM WITH MYSELF AT ITS APEX!_

"Akiza!" Yusei got her attention, "You and Rose need to get out of here now!" Akiza stood frozen in terror, her gaze transfixed on Sayer's new and monstrous form.

_AH, IT WOULD SEEM THE PRINCESS IS MARVELED BY MY POWER. DO NOT FEAR, MY DEAR. _Sayer's clawed hand reached out toward Akiza. Yusei drew his sword and stepped in its way.

"You're not getting her," he said flatly.

_YOU THINK YOU ALONE HAVE POWER ENOUGH TO STOP ME FROM TAKING WHAT I WANT, LITTLE WARRIOR?_ Sayer knocked Yusei aside and reached out with his other hand and grabbed Akiza.

"AHHH! YUSEI! HELP ME!" she screamed.

"HOLD ON!" he yelled.

_HA HA HA! LOOK AT YOU HELPLESS DOWN THERE, RIDER! IF YOU VALUE THE LIFE OF YOUR COMPANION, THEN DO NOT INTERFERE. I WILL SPARE HER WHEN ALL DRAGONS ARE DEAD. _He looked right at Akiza with his red eyes. _AND FOR YOU, MY DEAR, AS A SPECIAL TREAT, I'LL SAVE YOUR DRAGON FOR LAST._ With that, Sayer flew upward and blasted a hole in the roof of the keep with some sort of magic fire spewing from his mouth. He flew upward and out of Yusei's sight, Akiza still clutched in his claw.

"AKIZA!" Yusei yelled. This was bad. He had to get her back. But what to do now? Rose hadn't yet awoken and Yusei was getting worried. He lifted his arm and called Stardust with his mark. Stardust appeared over the hole in the roof and dove down to land next to him.

_What happened here?_ Stardust asked.

"Sayer happened. He used the Mastery Orb and turned into a giant green psychic serpent or something. You need to get Rose out of here and somewhere safe."

_What happened to her?_ Stardust sounded frantic. _I will kill Sayer._

"Stardust, relax. She's okay. She's breathing fine. She'll wake up soon. Be patient."

_Wait, if she's here, where's Akiza?_

"Sayer's got her."

_Wait, then why are you so calm?_

"Because getting angry isn't going to do us any good! Look, we need to regroup before we go after Sayer. Get Rose outside. I'm going to find Akiza's parents."

As Yusei ran past some rubble down to a lower level of the castle, Stardust did his best to lift Rose on to his back. _You're heavy, you know that?_ he said to her.

_And you're pesky. Did you know that?_

_Rose! You're awake! You gave me a good scare. Are you all right?_

_Where's Akiza?_

_She's been taken hostage by Sayer. Yusei's working on a plan to get her back.  
><em>

_I'm fine to walk, Stardust. You can put me down._

_Not a chance. You're still beat up from that fight. Plus, I like carrying you._

Rose couldn't really respond to that. So instead, she laid her head down over Stardust's shoulder and closed her eyes. _You'd better not let me die,_ she finally said.

_Not a chance. _Stardust carried her to the courtyard and laid her down. _Here, I can do something to help ease the pain._ Stardust placed his hands on Rose's wings and let his energy flow through him and into her.

_What are you doing?_ Rose asked. She could feel some of her pain lessening.

_I told you. I'm easing your pain._

_How?_

_By taking some of it on myself._

_What? No! Stop it right now!_

_Quit being so stubborn! I want to help you. Please let me._

_Why? Why do you want to help me?_

_Because I...don't want to lose you._

Rose was speechless. Stardust was always kind but here he was actually sacrificing his own vitality for her sake. _Don't worry,_ Stardust said. _Just relax and don't move much. You'll be fine._ Rose didn't want to submit to just lying there to recover, but lying against Stardust was rather relaxing. She nuzzled her snout against his shoulder, finding a niche for her head to lie while she rested.

_Thank you,_ she said to him before falling asleep.

* * *

><p>Yusei reached the dungeons and called out, "Hello?"<p>

He heard a reply, "Who's there?" Yusei ran toward the voice. It sounded familiar. Maybe it was the king. He ran as fast as he could and found a cage with the king and queen both standing at the bars, looking to see who it was.

"Yusei Fudo, your majesties. We met months ago when Akiza joined the Order. Just stand back and I'll have you out of here." The monarchs stepped back and Yusei drew his sword and cut clean through the lock. The door squeaked loudly as it flung open.

The queen threw herself at Yusei, hugging him very tightly. "Oh, thank you, Sir Fudo," she cried.

"Yes, thank you," the king added. "We didn't know how long we would be in there. Sayer's powers overwhelmed us both."

"Well, he's gone," Yusei said, "for now."

"Oh, thank heavens," the queen sighed. "Where is my daughter?"

"She's..." Yusei paused. Should he really tell them?

"What is it?" the king asked. "Spit it out, man!"

"She's not...dead, is she?" the queen stammered.

"No! She's alive," Yusei said. "Sayer captured her and escaped."

"Well then what are you waiting around here for?" the king demanded. "Go rescue her!"

"I will do my best," Yusei said. "But I need to get you to safety first."

"Nonsense, boy!" the king said. "I have enough skill to bypass any non-magical danger. You go rescue my daughter."

"Yes, sir." Yusei turned around and headed back up the stairs.

"What do you think, dear?" the queen asked her husband.

"He is a fine man, that one. Driven to protect our Akiza at any cost, even if that cost is his own life."

"I agree, and I think Akiza is very lucky to have him."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, I lied. The next chapter will be the finale of Part I.<strong>


	15. Quick Message

**Quick Message**

So there has been no time these past few months to finish the finale. I finally opened up the page again and saw the progress I had made gone. I had waited too long. However, this is not all bad. The reason I hadn't released the finale was because of my immense doubts about it. This is an opportunity to redo it much better.

.

.

.

So that is my plan.

Wish me luck!

-SS


End file.
